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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after multiple accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect way during lane changes while operating the system.

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

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the presently active features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with current implementations.