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American vehicle safety authorities have started an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after several crashes.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads against the red light and was later part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize 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 actions as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

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