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American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the agency determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the car was coming to 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 twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the car self-driving.”

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