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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the incorrect way during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Further Issues Identified

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

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

Continuing Official Examination

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

In October 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 airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.