The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that it has data on 58 incidents when Tesla cars drove in the oncoming lane, failed to stop at a red light and committed other traffic violations. These are cases where the electric cars were under the control of the Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver assistance system. According to a document published on the agency's website, the preliminary inspection affects about 2.9 million cars.

According to NHTSA, some of the incidents resulted in crashes and injuries; no fatalities have been reported in the current investigation. The agency highlights six instances in which an FSD-activated vehicle approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, proceeded and collided with other vehicles. Several such crashes occurred at the same intersection in Maryland. The regulator notes that Tesla has already taken steps to correct the problem at that site. The investigation was opened to assess the scope, frequency and potential safety risks associated with FSD behavior, NHTSA says.

Tesla is already under scrutiny for problems with auto-locking doors in accidents and failure to submit accident data in a timely manner, Bloomberg recalls. In addition, last year the regulator launched an investigation after a car with FSD hit a pedestrian in poor visibility conditions.

When Tesla CEO Elon Musk endorsed Donald Trump's 2024 election campaign and then took over the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the new administration, Reuters wrote that it would allow the automaker to avoid further investigations, of which there were about 20 by then. In February, DOGE facilitated the firing of NHTSA employees involved in evaluating the safety of autonomous driving systems, The Verge wrote. In April and June, the agency went ahead with a series of rule relaxations regarding drone safety oversight and investigations of drone-related traffic incidents. However, Trump and Musk's public spat earlier this summer could have likely had a negative impact on Tesla's relationship with regulators, Quentin Webb, financial editor of The Wall Street Journal, allowed at the time. He suggested that the conflict with the administration could undermine Tesla's efforts to push for regulatory changes, particularly in the area of robotaxis.

In trading on October 9, Tesla shares fell by 2.1% to $429.3. The automaker is not having the easiest week: on October 7, its shares fell by 4% after the announcement of a simplified version of the Model Y, which failed to impress investors.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor

Share