🔗 Share this article

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect way during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection against 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.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's intended behaviour as the car was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.