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US automobile safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following several crashes.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and traveling in the wrong way during lane changes 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 traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was later involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority noted that four crashes had caused one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the system's intended behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

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 become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.