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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD activated, “approached an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection despite the red light and was later involved in a collision with other cars in the junction”.

The agency noted that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the authority started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these features are designed to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.