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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following several crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving 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 light, proceeded to travel into the crossroads despite the red light and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection 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 vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

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

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.