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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling in the incorrect way during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red light and was later part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's intended actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.