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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after several accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the agency determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.