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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and moving against the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving engaged, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

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

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.