American Authorities Initiate Investigation into Autonomous Tesla Vehicles Following Series of Accidents

American vehicle safety authorities have opened an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches following several collisions.

Regulatory Body Finds Traffic Law Violations

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which requires motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before possibly requesting a withdrawal of the cars if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The regulatory body reported it had received reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane changes while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla car, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was later involved in a crash with other cars in the intersection”.

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

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide alerts of the technology's intended actions as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing 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 late 2024, the authority began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.