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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling in the incorrect way during lane changes while using the technology.

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

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's intended actions as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

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

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.