🔗 Share this article

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after several collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red light and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended 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 capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.