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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after numerous crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four accidents had caused injuries to occupants.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

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