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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following numerous crashes.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the agency determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving against the wrong way during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads despite the red light and was later involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four accidents had caused injuries to occupants.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended actions as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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 agency started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.