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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after several collisions.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and traveling in the incorrect direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority noted that four crashes had caused injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.