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US automobile safety regulators have started an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following multiple crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency reported it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving in the wrong way during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, operating with full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other cars in the junction”.

The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

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

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In late 2024, the authority started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Company'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 take over at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.