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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency 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 road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads against the red light and was later part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the car self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.