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US automobile safety regulators have started an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving against the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to travel into the crossroads despite the red light and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned behaviour as the car 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 twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the presently active functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

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