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US automobile safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially requesting a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads despite the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car self-driving.”

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