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

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling in the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the system.

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

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these features are designed to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the car self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.