Right as the first public rides began in downtown Austin, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a formal investigation into whether Tesla’s purpose-built Cybercab was properly certified to operate on U.S. roads.
According to a report from Reuters, federal regulators are reviewing the internal technical data and compliance procedures Tesla used to self-certify up to 1,000 Cybercab vehicles under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
The inquiry comes right as Tesla unveiled the Cybercab at an official launch event on Thursday. Following free demo rides for attendees, the Cybercab joined the Robotaxi fleet and started offering commercial rides on Friday, allowing anyone in Austin to book the vehicle through the Robotaxi app.
Self-Certification and Missing Human Controls
Under standard U.S. automotive rules, vehicle manufacturers self-certify that their products comply with federal standards before delivering them to customers. While retrofitted vehicles like the Model Y robotaxi meet conventional definitions, the Cybercab’s complete lack of a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and side-view mirrors throws a wrench in the works.
Federal regulations generally require automakers building vehicles without traditional manual controls to petition NHTSA for a temporary regulatory exemption. NHTSA has the statutory authority to allow up to 2,500 exempted driverless vehicles per manufacturer per year, a pathway Amazon-owned Zoox successfully used in July for its custom robotaxis.
Tesla never submitted an exemption petition for the Cybercab, however. Instead, Tesla self-certified SAE Level 4 autonomy in Texas earlier this spring under new state rules. Furthermore, Tesla leadership previously confirmed that the Cybercab isn’t subject to the 2,500-per-year production cap.
NHTSA is now assessing the legal and engineering basis of that stance, examining whether Tesla improperly concluded that certain standard federal mandates simply didn’t apply to the Cybercab. Addressing the ongoing investigation, NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison noted:
“NHTSA fully supports the safe development and deployment of automated vehicles. But as the federal regulator, we need to ensure that all of our laws are followed.”
Active Fleets and Pending Federal Rulemaking
State motor vehicle records indicate that Tesla had 420 total autonomous vehicles registered in Texas as of Friday, with 45 of those units being purpose-built Cybercabs. The remainder are modified Model Ys that still feature traditional steering controls.
Ironically, NHTSA proposed rule changes back in June aimed at eliminating old mandates for manual brake pedals in autonomous vehicles, alongside separate updates covering forward mirrors and driver equipment. However, the agency emphasized that existing federal motor vehicle rules remain legally binding until those regulatory revisions are finalized.
Public Cybercab rides continue operating across Austin for now, but the regulatory probe highlights the legal friction facing Tesla and other automakers as dedicated, steering wheel-less hardware hits public streets ahead of federal rulebook updates.
