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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following multiple collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling against the incorrect way during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD engaged, “approached an junction with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency reported that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the agency started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car autonomous.”

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