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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following several crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the agency determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and moving against the wrong way during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was later part of a crash with other cars in the junction”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended behaviour as the car was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the car self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.