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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires 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 potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was later part of a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert 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 autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.