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US automobile safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after several accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not make the car self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.