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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the agency determines they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and moving in the incorrect way during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a crash with other cars in the junction”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned actions as the car was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the car self-driving.”

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