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American vehicle safety authorities have started an probe into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads despite the red light and was subsequently involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the car autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.