🔗 Share this article

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA declared that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the junction”.

The agency reported that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended behaviour as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

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 late 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.