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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after several crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling in the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

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