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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following multiple collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling in the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency noted that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, 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 system's intended actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

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

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.