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American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after several collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's intended actions as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the authority began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the presently active functions do not make the car self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.