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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after several accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations

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

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD engaged, “approached an junction with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads against the red light and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's intended actions as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the car 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.