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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving in the incorrect way during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended actions as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company'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 steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.