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US automobile safety regulators have started an probe into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several collisions.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Official Examination

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

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

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not render the car autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.