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US automobile safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following several accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the crossroads against the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the agency started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

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 wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the car self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.