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American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following multiple accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red light and was later involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the car autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.