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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

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

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency noted that four accidents had caused injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended actions as the car was approaching a red light”.

Continuing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.