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

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently involved in a collision with other cars in the junction”.

The agency noted that four crashes had caused one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's planned actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.