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US automobile safety regulators have opened an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before possibly requesting a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency stated it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and traveling in the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using FSD engaged, “approached an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection against the red light and was later involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The agency reported that four crashes had caused one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned actions as the car was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

In October 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.