American Authorities Initiate Probe into Autonomous Tesla Vehicles After Series of Crashes

US automobile safety regulators have commenced an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after numerous collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines 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 lights and moving against the wrong way during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD engaged, “approached an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection despite the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct light status in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended actions as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Official Examination

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

In October 2024, the agency started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Company's Official Stance

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

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.