US Authorities Initiate Investigation into Autonomous Teslas After String of Collisions

American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly seeking 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 documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane switching while using the system.

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

The agency reported that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.