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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after multiple collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.