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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following several collisions.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and moving against the incorrect way during lane switching while operating the system.

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 traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency noted that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's planned actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the car autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.