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

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

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

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to travel into the crossroads despite the red light and was subsequently involved in a collision with other cars in the junction”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the car's display”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates 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 moment. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.