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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the system.

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

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.