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US automobile safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an junction with a red light, proceeded to travel into the intersection against the red signal and was later involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's planned actions as the car was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.