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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following several crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The NHTSA stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving against the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving engaged, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.