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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the incorrect way during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was later part of a collision with other cars in the junction”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

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

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority began an investigation into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the car self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.