🔗 Share this article

US automobile safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several collisions.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and moving against the wrong direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to travel into the crossroads despite the red light and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog 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 use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active functions do not make the car autonomous.”

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