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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after several crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and moving in the incorrect way during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red light and was subsequently part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's intended behaviour as the vehicle 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 a year.

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

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.