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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following multiple crashes.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

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

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's intended actions as the car was approaching 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 twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.