US Regulators Launch Inquiry into Self-Driving Teslas After String of Crashes

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after multiple collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

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

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the crossroads against the red signal and was later part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed 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 sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.