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US automobile safety regulators have commenced an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency noted that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended 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 engineered to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.