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US automobile safety regulators have opened an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following several accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The agency noted that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped 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”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.