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

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

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

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving against the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads despite the red light and was subsequently part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's intended actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

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

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