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US automobile safety regulators have opened an examination into Tesla cars featuring the autonomous driving system due to safety regulation breaches after multiple crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Breaches

The federal safety agency announced that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and intervene if needed, had caused car behavior that breached road safety regulations”.

This early investigation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly seeking a recall of the vehicles if the authority concludes they pose a risk to public safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had received 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 stated it has six documented cases in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to travel into the intersection against the red signal and was subsequently part of a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection”.

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

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one media report claiming 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 did not properly recognize and display the proper light status in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give alerts of the technology's intended behaviour as the vehicle was coming to a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four documented crashes in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, mist or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in 2023, was deadly.

Manufacturer's Official Stance

Tesla's website states that FSD is “intended for operation by a completely alert motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is prepared 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 vehicle technology continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the technology advances and real-world testing reveals possible issues with existing deployments.