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US automobile safety regulators have opened an probe into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the agency determines they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency reported it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving against the wrong direction during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the agency began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

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

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.