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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following multiple crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The NHTSA stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was later part of a crash with other cars in the junction”.

The agency noted that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's planned behaviour as the car was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the car self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.