US Authorities Initiate Probe into Self-Driving Teslas After Series of Collisions

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following several collisions.

Safety Agency Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and traveling in the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was later part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

The authority reported that four accidents had caused injuries to occupants.

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended actions as the car was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the agency began an investigation into over two million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with current implementations.