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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 crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “approached an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection against the red light and was later part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's planned actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.