Tesla FSD Running Red Lights

What Is PE25-012?

Preliminary Evaluation PE25-012 is an NHTSA investigation opened in 2025 to examine reports that Tesla vehicles running FSD software were failing to stop at red traffic signals. The investigation was triggered by a pattern of consumer complaints and incident reports describing the vehicle proceeding through intersections against red lights, sometimes at significant speed.

The investigation specifically focuses on Tesla's FSD supervised software and its handling of traffic control devices. NHTSA is examining whether the system's behavior constitutes a safety defect that requires a recall.

PE25-012 follows a pattern of NHTSA investigations into Tesla's autonomous systems. For the full picture of Tesla's regulatory history, see our NHTSA investigation tracker.

The "Mad Max" Mode Problem

Tesla FSD includes driving profile settings that control how aggressively the vehicle drives. The three profiles are:

• Chill: Conservative driving with wider following distances and early stops at yellow lights.
• Average: The default setting, balancing between conservative and aggressive behavior.
• Assertive ("Mad Max"): Aggressive driving with tighter following distances, quicker intersection decisions, and more assertive lane changes.

Multiple complaints specifically cite the Assertive mode as a factor in red-light running incidents. In this mode, the vehicle is programmed to make quicker decisions at intersections — including tighter yellow-light timing. Critics argue this creates scenarios where the vehicle enters an intersection after the light has turned red, particularly when approaching at higher speeds or when the system misjudges the timing of a yellow-to-red transition.

Some owners have reported the vehicle running red lights even in the standard "Average" driving profile, suggesting the issue may not be limited to the aggressive mode but could reflect deeper perception or decision-making flaws in the FSD software.

Types of Red Light Failures

Analysis of complaints reveals several distinct failure patterns:

• Red light running: Vehicle proceeds through intersection after light turns red, sometimes without any attempt to slow down.
• Yellow light misjudgment: Vehicle accelerates through yellow lights instead of stopping, entering intersection on red.
• Stop sign rolling: Vehicle fails to come to complete stop, instead performing a "rolling stop" or proceeding without stopping.
• Phantom green: Vehicle appears to perceive a green light when the signal is actually red, possibly due to misidentification of nearby signals or traffic signal confusion.
• Turning conflicts: Vehicle initiates turns at intersections when oncoming traffic has the right of way.
• Stale green misjudgment: Vehicle fails to anticipate a light change on a "stale" green signal, entering the intersection just as it turns red.

Why Intersection Driving Is So Hard

Intersections are among the most challenging environments for autonomous systems. Across all manufacturers, 1,301 incidents in the NHTSA database occurred at intersections. These locations require the vehicle to:

• Correctly identify traffic signals from varying angles, distances, and lighting conditions
• Distinguish between signals for different lanes and directions
• Understand right-of-way rules including protected/unprotected turns
• Predict the behavior of other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists
• Make time-critical go/no-go decisions with constantly changing conditions
• Handle signal timing that varies by intersection and time of day

The complexity of intersection driving is a key reason why many ADS companies (like Waymo) initially focused on simpler driving domains before expanding to complex urban intersections. Tesla's approach of deploying FSD broadly across all road types means the system encounters intersection scenarios that it may not handle reliably in all conditions.

Tesla's History with Traffic Control Recalls

This is not the first time Tesla's FSD has been investigated or recalled for traffic control device violations. Previous issues include:

• 2022 FSD Beta recall: Tesla recalled FSD for failing to stop at stop signs and for improper speed adjustments near speed limit signs.
• 2023 school zone recall: FSD was recalled for not reliably reducing speed in school zones.
• 2024 traffic control recall: Additional recall for FSD failing to properly obey traffic control devices at intersections.

The recurring nature of traffic control device violations in FSD recalls raises questions about whether the system's fundamental approach to intersection management has systemic limitations. For a complete history, see our Tesla recall tracker.

Consumer Complaints

NHTSA's complaint database contains 2,482complaints related to Tesla's autonomous features. While not all relate to red-light running specifically, the intersection-related subset represents a growing area of concern as FSD deployment expands to more urban environments.

Filing a complaint with NHTSA is one of the most effective ways for consumers to influence safety outcomes. The PE25-012 investigation was opened specifically because of complaint patterns — demonstrating that individual reports do make a difference in triggering regulatory action.

What Happens Next

If NHTSA's Preliminary Evaluation finds sufficient evidence of a defect, the investigation could escalate to an Engineering Analysis and ultimately lead to a recall. Given Tesla's history with FSD recalls (the system has been recalled multiple times for traffic control device violations), a recall outcome is plausible. Any remedy would likely be delivered as an OTA software update modifying how FSD handles intersection timing and traffic signals.

The investigation also raises broader questions about whether aggressive driving profiles like "Mad Max" mode should be permitted in autonomous driving software. Some safety advocates argue that offering an "assertive" mode in software that's already imperfect at following traffic laws is inherently irresponsible.

What Tesla Owners Should Do

If you own a Tesla and use FSD, consider these safety measures while the investigation is ongoing:

• Avoid "Assertive" mode — use "Chill" or "Average" for safer intersection behavior
• Be extra vigilant at intersections — prepare to brake manually as the vehicle approaches any traffic signal
• Report any incidents — file complaints with NHTSA at nhtsa.gov
• Keep software updated — Tesla may release fixes addressing intersection behavior before a formal recall
• Remember FSD is Level 2 — you are always legally responsible for the vehicle's behavior