American Authorities Initiate Investigation into Autonomous Tesla Vehicles After String of Collisions

American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after several accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, proceeded to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.