American Authorities Launch Inquiry into Autonomous Tesla Vehicles After String of Accidents
US automobile safety regulators have opened an probe into Tesla cars featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches after numerous crashes.
Safety Agency Finds Traffic Law Violations
The federal safety agency stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.
This early investigation by the NHTSA marks the initial phase before potentially seeking a recall of the cars if the agency determines they present a danger to public safety.
Alarming Incident Reports
The regulatory body stated it had documented accounts of 2.88 million Tesla vehicles driving through red lights and moving against the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the system.
NHTSA stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using full self-driving engaged, “came to an junction with a red light, continued to travel into the crossroads despite the red signal and was later involved in a collision with other cars in the junction”.
The agency noted that four accidents had resulted in injuries to occupants.
Additional Safety Concerns
The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an intersection with FSD engaged, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and show the proper traffic signal state in the vehicle interface”.
Several reporters also stated that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.
Continuing Official Examination
Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.
In late 2024, the authority started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in situations of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in last year, was fatal.
Company's Stated Position
Tesla's website states 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 capabilities are engineered to become more capable, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”
Self-driving car systems continue to face growing examination from safety agencies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals possible issues with current implementations.