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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, 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 vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.