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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency reported it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling in the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection against the red light and was later involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the correct light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.