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American vehicle safety authorities have started an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following several collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and traveling in the incorrect way during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other cars in the junction”.

The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's planned actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car autonomous.”

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