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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an investigation into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following multiple accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and moving in the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving engaged, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the crossroads despite the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other cars in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.