🔗 Share this article

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

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was later part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority noted that four crashes had caused one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

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

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended 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 features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.