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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following several crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and moving in the incorrect way during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

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 prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.