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American vehicle safety authorities have started an probe into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after numerous crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.