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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after multiple crashes.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined 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 conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.