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

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the agency concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and moving in the wrong way during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD engaged, “approached an junction with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red light and was later part of a collision with other cars in the junction”.

The agency noted that four crashes had caused injuries to occupants.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's intended actions as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing 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 started an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.