🔗 Share this article

American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

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

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving in the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was later part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended actions as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the presently active features do not make the car self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.