🔗 Share this article

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

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

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

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

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the car self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.