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

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the incorrect direction during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was later part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, 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 warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.