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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling in the wrong direction during lane switching while using the technology.

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

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined 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 conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.