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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling against the incorrect direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency noted that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the car self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.