US automobile safety regulators have opened an examination into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after numerous accidents.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.
This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.
The agency reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles running red lights and moving against the wrong way during lane switching while operating the technology.
NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.
The agency reported that four crashes had caused injuries to occupants.
The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at 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 show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.
Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.
Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.
In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.
The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to assume control at any time. While these features are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the car self-driving.”
Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.
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