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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving in the incorrect way during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision 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 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

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