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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following multiple crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

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

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the agency determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling in the wrong direction during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system'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 under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the agency started an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company'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 ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.