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US automobile safety regulators have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after several crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended actions as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.