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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after several collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

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

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed 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, continued to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

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

Continuing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.