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US automobile safety regulators have commenced an probe into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling in the wrong direction during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's intended actions as the car was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.