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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after numerous accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

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 authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the car autonomous.”

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.