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

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving against the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was later part of a crash with other cars in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's planned actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

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

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.