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American vehicle safety authorities have started an probe into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA stated that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

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

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the car self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.