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US automobile safety regulators have opened an examination into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after numerous accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the agency determines they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a collision with other cars in the junction”.

The authority reported 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 cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as sun glare, 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 completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not render the car autonomous.”

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