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US automobile safety regulators have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after numerous accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.