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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was later part of a crash with other cars in the junction”.

The agency noted that four accidents had caused injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's planned behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the car self-driving.”

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