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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following numerous crashes.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect way during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red light 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 Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

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

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.