The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation on September 4, 2026, into whether Tesla properly certified its autonomous Cybercab robotaxi, just one day after the company began commercial deployment of the steering-wheel-free vehicles in Austin, Texas.
Tesla shares fell nearly 6% on the news, closing at $354.08. The probe examines the process and technical data Tesla relied on to demonstrate compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards for up to 1,000 Cybercabs.
The Cybercab lacks conventional manual controls — no steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, or mirrors. Tesla began offering rides in the two-seater vehicles on September 3 and said it planned to gradually expand the service to additional vehicles and locations. The company had 420 autonomous vehicles registered in Texas as of Friday morning, including 45 Cybercab vehicles, according to state records.
“NHTSA fully supports the safe development and deployment of automated vehicles,” said NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison. “But as the federal regulator, we need to ensure that all of our laws are followed.”
Under existing law, fully self-driving vehicles do not need NHTSA approval if they have required human controls. NHTSA has authority to grant petitions allowing up to 2,500 vehicles per manufacturer per year to operate without human controls. In July, NHTSA approved a petition for Amazon’s Zoox unit for limited commercial deployment of its steering-wheel-free robotaxis — a first for the autonomous ride industry. According to the New York Post, NHTSA said Tesla had not petitioned for an exemption.
In June, NHTSA proposed ending a government requirement for manual brake pedals in self-driving vehicles, a move that would ease deployment. Until that regulatory work is completed, existing standards remain in force.
The investigation creates a significant overhang for Tesla’s autonomous vehicle strategy and has implications for the broader New York technology and investment community. Tesla’s market valuation depends heavily on its autonomous driving ambitions, and any regulatory delay could affect the timeline for revenue generation from robotaxi services.
For New York-based investors and analysts who follow the autonomous vehicle sector, the probe raises questions about the gap between Tesla’s product launch strategy and the regulatory framework governing self-driving vehicles. Other companies, including Waymo and Zoox, have pursued different regulatory pathways for their robotaxi services.
The NHTSA investigation will examine the basis of Tesla’s Cybercab certification and related issues, including the extent to which the company determined that certain federal standards were not applicable to the vehicle. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gold-colored Tesla Cybercabs have been spotted in multiple cities, including San Diego, as the company prepares for broader deployment. The outcome of the federal probe will likely shape the regulatory landscape for autonomous vehicles nationwide.
