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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling in the incorrect way during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later involved in a collision with other cars in the junction”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active functions do not render 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 current implementations.