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US automobile safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The agency noted that four crashes had caused one or more injuries.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red light, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the presently active functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.