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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after multiple crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the proper light status in the car's display”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

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