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US automobile safety regulators have opened an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after several accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the agency determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency noted that four crashes had caused one or more injuries.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the authority began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.