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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after multiple collisions.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the agency determines they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red lights and traveling in the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was later part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency reported that four accidents had caused injuries to occupants.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, 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 steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.