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American vehicle safety authorities have started an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after numerous crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the junction”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.