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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after several crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and moving against the incorrect way during lane switching while operating the system.

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

The agency reported that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's intended actions as the car was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these features are designed to become more capable, the presently active functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.