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US automobile safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after numerous accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the agency concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency reported that four accidents had caused injuries to occupants.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, 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 show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

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

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive motorist, 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 presently active functions do not make the car self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.