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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following multiple accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

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

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was later involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection 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 vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's intended actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed 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 become more capable, the presently active functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.