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

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to travel into the intersection despite the red light and was subsequently involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority reported 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 vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed 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 Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

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

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.