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American vehicle safety authorities have started an probe into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was later involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority reported that four crashes had caused injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay 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”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 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 sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.