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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA declared 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 preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency reported it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these features are designed to improve over time, the presently active features do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.