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

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the agency determines they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

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

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red light and was later part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show 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 car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

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 October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the car autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.