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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

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

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency reported it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling in the wrong direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended behaviour as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these features are designed to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.