US automobile safety regulators have opened an probe into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several crashes.
The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that violated road safety regulations”.
This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to road safety.
The regulatory body reported it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red lights and traveling against the incorrect direction during lane switching while using the system.
NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving engaged, “approached an junction with a red light, proceeded to travel into the crossroads against the red light and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.
The authority noted that four crashes had caused one or more injuries.
The NHTSA stated it has found 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.
Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the car was approaching a red light”.
The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.
In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into over two million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.
The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not render the car self-driving.”
Self-driving car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with current implementations.
Elara is a financial strategist with over a decade of experience in wealth management and entrepreneurship.
