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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the incorrect way during lane switching while operating 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 light, continued to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was later involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.