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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following several accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA stated that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and moving against the incorrect direction during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other cars in the junction”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Official Examination

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 started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended 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 engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.