American Regulators Initiate Investigation into Self-Driving Tesla Vehicles After Series of Collisions

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following several collisions.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed 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 light and was subsequently involved in a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four accidents 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 vehicles, operating at 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 display the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.