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

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated 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 initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority determines they pose a risk to public safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The agency reported it had received accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red lights and moving in the wrong way during lane switching while operating the system.

NHTSA stated it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to drive into the intersection despite the red signal and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

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

Further Issues Identified

The NHTSA stated it has found 18 complaints and one news account alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Some complainants also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Continuing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year.

In late 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four documented crashes in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a completely alert driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to assume control at any time. While these features are designed to become more capable, the currently enabled features do not render the car autonomous.”

Self-driving vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with current implementations.