US Authorities Launch Probe into Autonomous Teslas After String of Accidents

American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an examination into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations after several accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused vehicle behaviour 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 agency determines they present a danger to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and moving in the wrong direction during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection against the red light and was later part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority noted that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Additional Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

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

Continuing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the agency started an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the car autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.