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US automobile safety regulators have commenced an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had received reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and show the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings 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 being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.