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American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after numerous accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

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

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and moving in the wrong way during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection despite the red light and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's intended actions as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the agency started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

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

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.