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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after numerous accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red light, proceeded to travel into the intersection despite the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned actions as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed 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 real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.