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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency determines they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency reported it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection against the red signal and was later part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The agency noted that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's planned behaviour as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the presently active features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

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