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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following multiple collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and moving in the wrong way during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was later part of a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's planned actions as the car was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

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 prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

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