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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after multiple collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The NHTSA stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling in the incorrect way during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection despite the red light and was subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the junction”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned actions as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, 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 currently enabled features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

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