American Regulators Begin Probe into Self-Driving Teslas After String of Collisions

American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following multiple accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority reported that four crashes had caused injuries to occupants.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor 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 use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.