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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following multiple accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and moving against the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision 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 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, 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 warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.