NHTSA

Tesla

2026-09-05 08:03:13

Tesla Cybercab faces NHTSA audit on launch day as only 45 vehicles are registered for driverless operation in Texas

Tesla shares fell 5.92% on Sept. 4 to close at $354.08, wiping out roughly $88 billion in market value and erasing the previous day’s gain tied to its Cybercab launch event. On the same day as the Sept. 3 commercialization event in Austin, Texas, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened audit case AQ26002 to examine how Tesla self-certified Cybercab as compliant with applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, even though the vehicle has no permanently mounted traditional manual controls such as a steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, or mirrors. The case, triggered by public information, is estimated to involve 1,000 vehicles. For now, the review does not amount to an allegation of wrongdoing, does not require a recall, and does not halt service in Austin. The larger issue is whether Tesla can avoid the exemption route that would cap deployment at 2,500 vehicles a year. As of Sept. 2, only 45 Cybercabs were registered in Texas for unmanned operation.

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Tesla

2026-09-05 03:14:50

Tesla Faces Cybercab Regulatory Hurdle as NHTSA Probes 1,000 Vehicles, Stock Sinks 5.92%

Tesla's stock tumbled 5.92% on Friday, wiping out about $88 billion in market cap, as the company's Cybercab ambitions hit a regulatory and market reality check. The NHTSA has launched a review of some 1,000 Cybercabs, focusing on Tesla's compliance process for omitting traditional features like steering wheels and pedals. Meanwhile, Wall Street analysts panned Cybercab's commercialization event as lacking details, though long-term forecasts remain bullish.

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Tesla

2026-09-04 18:13:13

Tesla slides 6% after federal audit targets Cybercab certification

Tesla shares fell sharply after federal regulators opened a compliance audit into the company’s Cybercab, just one day after the vehicle began commercial deployment on public streets in Austin, Texas. By midday on September 4, Tesla was down 6.5% from the previous close, while the Nasdaq 100 was off about 0.5%, according to the Protos report. The new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration inquiry, listed as Audit Query AQ26002, can cover as many as 1,000 Tesla vehicles. That scope is far larger than Tesla’s Cybercab fleet, which the report described as only a few dozen vehicles. NHTSA said it opened the audit to review the process and technical data Tesla relied on when certifying the Cybercab, along with related issues. The vehicle has no permanently attached steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, or rearview mirrors. Under the current U.S. framework, automakers generally self-certify compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, unless they seek a limited exemption in advance. Protos noted that an Audit Query does not amount to a misconduct allegation, and NHTSA has not announced a recall or made a finding of noncompliance. Reuters said Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Tesla

2026-08-18 16:38:28

Tesla Cybercab set for Austin reveal this month, with safety and regulatory questions still open

Tesla plans to publicly unveil its autonomous taxi, the Cybercab, as early as this month in Austin, Texas, according to a report cited by BlockBeats. The vehicle is designed without a steering wheel or pedals, and Tesla employees have already tested a fully driverless version on private roads inside the company campus. The report said the Cybercab runs on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, or FSD, software, though doubts remain over both the system’s capabilities and its safety record. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is still investigating how Tesla FSD handles compliance with traffic rules, while existing robotaxi services in some markets continue to rely on human safety operators. Tesla’s Cybercab is intended to operate without anyone inside intervening, with remote operators expected to handle emergencies, and the company has started adding Starlink connectivity to the vehicles. Data collection is another hurdle. Tesla said in July that it still needs dedicated driving data for Cybercab. So far, Tesla’s unsupervised Robotaxi service has logged about 380,000 miles across six cities, compared with more than 220 million fully driverless miles on public roads completed by Waymo since 2020. The report also noted that the lack of traditional driving controls could put Cybercab under federal vehicle safety restrictions, and it remains unclear whether Tesla is seeking a regulatory exemption.

1310

Tesla

2026-07-23 09:05:14

Musk Says FSD Is 10x Safer Than Humans, but Robotaxi Crash Rate Runs 4x Higher

Elon Musk claimed Tesla FSD will be more than 10 times safer than human drivers, even as NHTSA escalated its probe and reported Austin Robotaxi data showed a crash rate about four times higher than human driving.

580

Waymo

2026-07-22 20:45:14

Waymo Recalls 3,791 Robotaxis Over Flooded Road Detection Failure, Suspends Service in Four Cities

Waymo has issued an OTA recall for 3,791 robotaxis after repeated failures to detect flooded roads, with service now suspended in Atlanta, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston.

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