The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a preliminary investigation into 2.88 million Tesla vehicles equipped with its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, after receiving reports that the system caused traffic law violations. The probe centers on incidents including Teslas running red lights and making unsafe lane changes while in FSD mode — behaviors that allegedly breach traffic safety laws.

NHTSA said it has collected 58 reports related to these issues. Among them are 14 crashes and 23 injuries. In six cases, vehicles running FSD entered intersections against red lights and then collided with other vehicles, four of which led to injuries. The investigation also includes reports of FSD misbehaving at railroad crossings.

Tesla recently issued a software update for FSD, but the probe could lead to more serious action if safety risks are confirmed. A recall is possible if the agency finds that the FSD system poses an “unreasonable risk to safety,” according to U.S. safety rules.
This action follows growing regulatory scrutiny of Tesla’s driver assistance and self-driving technologies. Congress has raised concerns over crashes involving FSD, and NHTSA has already conducted past investigations into other issues with the system, including performance under low visibility.

Tesla has not yet publicly commented on the investigation. The preliminary evaluation is the first formal step in determining whether the violations represent systemic flaws requiring recall or additional regulatory intervention.

Source: Reuters.