🔗 Share this article

US automobile safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following numerous crashes.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.