American vehicle safety authorities have started an examination into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after several accidents.
The federal safety agency stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.
This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the cars if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.
The agency stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving against the incorrect direction during lane switching while operating the technology.
NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection against the red light and was later part of a crash with other cars in the intersection”.
The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.
The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the proper light status in the car's display”.
Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide alerts of the system's planned actions as the car was coming to a red light”.
The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.
In late 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.
The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the presently active features do not make the car autonomous.”
Automated vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from safety agencies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.
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