🔗 Share this article

US automobile safety regulators have started an examination into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the incorrect way during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings 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 advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

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