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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving in the incorrect way during lane changes while using the system.

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

The agency noted that four crashes had caused injuries to occupants.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended behaviour as the car was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

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