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US automobile safety regulators have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following numerous crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency reported it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants 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 sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.