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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly seeking a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving in the incorrect way during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD engaged, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.