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US automobile safety regulators have opened an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after several accidents.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency declared that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and take control when necessary, had “induced car behavior that violated traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA marks the first step before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the agency concludes they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Incident Reports

The agency stated it had documented reports of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red lights and moving against the incorrect way during lane changes while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “approached an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection against the red light and was later involved in a crash with other cars in the junction”.

The authority reported that four crashes had resulted in injuries to occupants.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and show the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Some complainants also stated that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended actions as the vehicle was coming to a red light”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more sophisticated than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the authority started an inquiry into over two million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was fatal.

Manufacturer's Stated Position

Tesla's website states that FSD is “designed for operation by a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these features are engineered to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.