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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency noted that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Company'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 features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.