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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

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

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD engaged, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was subsequently part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The agency noted that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, 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 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.