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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following numerous accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

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

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane switching while using the technology.

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 light, 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 noted that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's planned actions as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

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 investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the car autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.