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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling in the incorrect way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “approached an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the junction”.

The authority noted that four accidents had caused injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's intended actions as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.