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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following several collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the agency determines they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through 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 car, operating with full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to travel into the intersection despite the red light and was later involved in a crash with other cars in the junction”.

The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's planned actions as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.