Federal Investigation Initiated into Tesla’s Cybercab Rollout

The leading automotive safety authority in the United States has initiated an investigation into Tesla’s choice to deploy its latest Cybercab on public roads without a steering wheel or pedals.

On Friday morning, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the investigation, following Tesla’s launch of the first Cybercabs in Austin, Texas. Federal vehicle safety regulations mandate the presence of manual controls such as brake pedals, although the Department of Transportation recently suggested revising those rules for vehicles intended for autonomous operation.

According to NHTSA, Tesla informed the agency that it self-certified the Cybercab as compliant with all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Traditionally, automakers self-certify the compliance of their vehicles with FMVSS regulations.

In its filing, the agency stated it was commencing an investigation to “analyze the process and technical data that Tesla used to certify the Cybercab and related matters.” NHTSA will investigate how much Tesla’s certification relied on the assertion that certain federal motor standards do not apply to the Cybercab.

NHTSA’s inquiry has precedent. In 2022, Zoox, a company owned by Amazon and known for autonomous vehicles, self-certified its cube-like robotaxi, which also lacks standard controls such as a steering wheel and pedals. NHTSA subsequently initiated a “special order” to gather more information from Zoox and formally began an audit inquiry — the same method it is applying to Tesla — in the following year.

Although Zoox was still deep in its testing phase at that time, the investigation did impede its progress toward commercialization. The company consistently argued that the self-certification process was adequate, and in 2025, the federal agency granted it an exemption to demonstrate — but not commercially operate — its technology. Zoox then proceeded through the official process, applying for a temporary Part 555 exemption from eight Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, hoping to receive final approval to begin charging for robotaxi services.

This story is developing…