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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after multiple collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists 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 requesting a recall of the cars if the agency determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “approached an junction with a red light, proceeded to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was later part of a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

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 wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.