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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following several accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the agency determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency reported it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling in the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's planned behaviour as the car 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 started an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these features are designed to improve over time, the presently active features do not render the car autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.