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US automobile safety regulators have commenced an examination into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following several accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and moving against the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads despite the red light and was later involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four crashes had caused injuries to occupants.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's planned actions as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not render the car autonomous.”

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