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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red light, proceeded to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's intended actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.