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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following several crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving against the incorrect way during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency noted that four accidents had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the agency started an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with current implementations.