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American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

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

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was later part of a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four crashes had caused injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, 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 proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert motorist, 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 presently active functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

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