American Authorities Initiate Investigation into Autonomous Tesla Vehicles After String of Crashes

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

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and moving in the wrong way during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's intended actions as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.