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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after several collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars 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 FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the intersection against the red light and was later involved in a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active functions do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.