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American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following multiple collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red light and was later involved in a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's intended actions as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing 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 started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active features do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.