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American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA 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 potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the agency determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced 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 traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the car self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with current implementations.