American Regulators Initiate Inquiry into Self-Driving Teslas After Series of Crashes

American vehicle safety authorities have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following numerous crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and traveling against the wrong direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD activated, “approached an junction with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads against the red light and was later part of a collision with other cars in the junction”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports 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 light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the car's display”.

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

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the car autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.