🔗 Share this article

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and traveling in the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to travel into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.