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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling in the incorrect way during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was later part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the presently active functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.