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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after multiple accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The NHTSA stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

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

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect direction during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's planned behaviour as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the presently active features do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.