The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation has opened a probe into comma.ai's aftermarket driving-assistance hardware following five crashes involving vehicles using the devices. NHTSA says the incidents involved drivers striking stopped or slow-moving vehicles, resulting in three deaths across two crashes and 11 injuries across four of the five incidents. Comma.ai, founded by George Hotz, sells the openpilot system and hardware that owners install themselves to add advanced driver-assist capability to their cars.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-23
US safety regulator NHTSA has launched an investigation into Comma.ai's aftermarket openpilot driver-assistance system following five reported crashes, two of them fatal, resulting in three deaths and up to 11 injuries. The agency says the incidents involved the system failing to detect or respond to slow or stopped vehicles ahead in the same lane, and notes some crashes may have involved modified 'forked' versions of the software, including one fatal Louisiana crash running a fork called FrogPilot.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-23
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has partnered with SAE International on a new initiative called ASCEND, aimed at creating standardized, data-driven performance benchmarks for automated driving systems. The effort comes as regulators grapple with vehicles like the Tesla Cybercab and Zoox robotaxi, which lack pedals, steering wheels, and mirrors required under existing federal vehicle safety rules. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the goal is to build a framework that prioritizes safety without forcing the agency into reactive, case-by-case policymaking.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-20
The House of Representatives voted with strong bipartisan support to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require automakers include AM radio in new cars, trucks and SUVs at no extra cost. The measure now moves to the Senate, where a companion bill co-sponsored by Sens. Ed Markey and Ted Cruz already has 60 co-sponsors, enough to survive a filibuster.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-16
Shortly after Tesla began testing its pedal-free, steering-wheel-free Cybercab on Austin streets, the NHTSA opened an audit into whether the vehicle complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The agency has since issued a Special Order demanding Tesla certify under oath that the Cybercab meets these rules by September 30, with noncompliance risking fines up to $139 million and possible prison time for falsified claims.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-16
A Tesla Model 3 ran a stop sign in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey on July 6, 2025, striking a Honda Civic and killing its 82-year-old driver, Stephen Field. Local police described it as an ordinary failure-to-stop crash, but Tesla's own federal safety filing shows its driver-assist system was 'Verified Engaged' at the time, a detail Tesla redacted key details about, including the crash narrative and software version.
electrek.co
· 2026-09-07
Tesla opened its Cybercab robotaxi service to paying customers in Austin via its Robotaxi app, with 45 vehicles now running commercially. Shortly after, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the vehicle, which lacks a steering wheel, pedals and mirrors, since Tesla self-certified the design.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-04
Tesla began limited commercial Cybercab service in Austin, Texas, using vehicles that lack a steering wheel, pedals or mirrors. Shortly after launch, the NHTSA opened an audit query covering roughly 1,000 vehicles to review how Tesla self-certified the Cybercab as compliant with federal safety standards.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-04
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.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-04
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an audit query into Tesla's Cybercab, questioning how the company certified the vehicle without sideview mirrors, pedals, or a steering wheel—features normally mandated under federal safety standards. The probe covers roughly 1,000 Cybercabs, though only 45 are currently registered with Texas' DMV, and comes just as Tesla publicly unveiled the vehicle in Austin as part of its Robotaxi rollout.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-04
A 2020 Tesla Model 3 came to a complete stop on Mesa, Arizona's Loop 202 highway around 3 AM on October 31, 2025, before being rear-ended by an F-350 pickup, killing the driver. Electrek matched the crash to a NHTSA filing showing Tesla's Autopilot or Full Self-Driving system was engaged at the time, a detail not disclosed in initial local reports.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-03
A Washington Post analysis found that conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles, not electric cars, account for most of the 3.4 million vehicles under active 'park outside' recalls due to fire risk while parked and off. NHTSA has issued 93 such recalls since 2021, with incidents including Kia Tellurides with overheating seat switches and Ford Expeditions with faulty circuit boards linked to at least 16 fires.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-08-29
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