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American vehicle safety authorities have commenced an investigation into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after several accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority determines they present a danger to public safety.

Alarming Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and moving in the incorrect direction during lane switching while using the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla car, operating with FSD activated, “approached an intersection with a red light, proceeded to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was later part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has found 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through 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 show the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's planned actions as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

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

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

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and practical implementation reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.