🔗 Share this article

American vehicle safety authorities have opened an probe into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and moving in the wrong way during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency reported that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration 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 claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.