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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an probe into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations following several crashes.

Regulatory Body Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The NHTSA declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to stay alert and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before potentially requesting 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 cars driving through red traffic lights and traveling against the incorrect direction during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving activated, “approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the crossroads despite the red light and was later involved in a collision with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

The authority noted that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned actions as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or airborne dust. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.