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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers 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 potentially requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving in the wrong way during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.