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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and traveling in the incorrect direction during lane changes while operating the system.

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

The agency reported that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended 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 engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.