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American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

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

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the agency determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection despite the red light and was later part of a crash with other cars in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's intended actions as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

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