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American vehicle safety authorities have started an probe into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after multiple collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency reported it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and moving against the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “approached an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority noted that four accidents had caused injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 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, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

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

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.