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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following multiple crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling in the incorrect way during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority reported that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, 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 current implementations.