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American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

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

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving in the wrong way during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red light and was later part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the authority began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states 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 time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.