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American vehicle safety authorities have started an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the agency determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane switching while using the technology.

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

The authority noted that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the authority started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active functions do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.