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American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after numerous crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel 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 crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the presently active functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.