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American vehicle safety authorities have started an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after multiple collisions.

Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially requesting a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency reported it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD engaged, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the junction”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, “failed to remain stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended behaviour as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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 started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.

Manufacturer'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 assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not render the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.