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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the vehicles if the agency determines they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to travel into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a collision 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 stated it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned actions as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions 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

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the car self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.