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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after multiple crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

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 changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.