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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following numerous accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the agency determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving against the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, 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 steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.