American Authorities Launch Investigation into Autonomous Tesla Vehicles After String of Crashes

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red light and was later involved in a collision with other cars in the junction”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's planned behaviour as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not render the car self-driving.”

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