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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after several accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling in the incorrect way during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's intended behaviour as the car was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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 began an investigation into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the presently active functions do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.