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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following several collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

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

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four accidents had caused injuries to occupants.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not make the car autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with current implementations.