US to investigate 2.9 million Tesla vehicles over Full Self-Driving system safety risks

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday that it is launching an investigation into 2.88 million vehicles of Elon Musk's Tesla equipped with its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system due to traffic safety violations following a series of crashes, reported news agency Reuters.

The auto safety agency claimed that FSD, an assistance system requiring drivers to stay alert and intervene if necessary, has induced vehicle behaviour that breaches traffic safety laws.

What did NHTSA say?

NHTSA mentioned reports highlighting instances of Tesla vehicles running red lights and going against the traffic flow during lane changes while using the system.

The agency said it has six reports of Tesla operating with FSD, approaching an intersection with a red traffic signal, continuing to travel into the intersection against the red light, and subsequently being involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection. Four crashes caused injuries in at least one case.

What's next if NHTSA finds risks?

The agency's investigation, a preliminary assessment, is the initial step before the agency can seek a recall of the vehicles if it believes they pose an unreasonable safety risk.

NHTSA stated it has 18 complaints and one media report claiming that Tesla vehicles, while operating at an intersection with the FSD system, “failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface.”

Few complainants claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Tesla's FSD, more advanced than Autopilot, has been under NHTSA investigation for a year.

In October 2024, the agency initiated an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD following four reported collisions in low-visibility conditions, such as sun glare, fog, or airborne dust, including a fatal crash in 2023.

(With inputs from agencies)