US Authorities Launch Inquiry into Autonomous Teslas After Series of Accidents

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following several accidents.

Safety Agency Finds Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency reported it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads despite the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The agency noted that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to become more capable, the presently active functions do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

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