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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling in the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other cars in the junction”.

The authority noted that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended behaviour as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the car autonomous.”

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