GoKawiilNHTSA opens audit query into Tesla's self-certified Cybercab safety compliance
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a formal investigation into Tesla just hours after the company began operating its steering-wheel-free, pedal-free Cybercab on Austin streets. Tesla had self-certified the vehicle as meeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and regulators now want to examine the data and reasoning behind that certification, including which standards Tesla deemed inapplicable.
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This mirrors NHTSA's earlier scrutiny of Zoox's controls-free robotaxi, which delayed that company's commercial rollout for years despite its confidence in self-certification. Tesla's decision to deploy Cybercabs commercially rather than in limited testing raises the stakes, since any adverse finding could force a broader recall or halt of the service just as it's launching.
- NHTSA opened the probe within hours of Tesla deploying Cybercabs without steering wheels or pedals in Austin.
- Tesla relied on self-certification of compliance with federal safety standards, a process regulators are now auditing.
- A similar investigation into Zoox's controls-free vehicle previously slowed that company's path to commercial operation.
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Published there as: “Feds launch investigation into Tesla’s Cybercab deployment”
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