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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

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

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency determines they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect way during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

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

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's planned behaviour as the car was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these features are designed to improve over time, the presently active features do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.