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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after multiple accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads against the red signal and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

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

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car self-driving.”

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