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US automobile safety regulators have opened an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

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

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and moving against the wrong way during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other cars in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

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 late 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.