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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following several collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 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 failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

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

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the car autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.