American Authorities Begin Probe into Autonomous Tesla Vehicles After Series of Collisions

US automobile safety regulators have opened an examination into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after numerous collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and traveling in the incorrect direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving activated, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to travel 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 caused one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's intended actions as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In late 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of poor visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.