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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following multiple crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and traveling against the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to travel into the intersection against the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's intended actions as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.