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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 several crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and traveling against the incorrect way during lane changes while using the technology.

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

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.