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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following numerous accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency noted that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

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