🔗 Share this article

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

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

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases 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 subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the junction”.

The agency noted that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.