Federal safety regulators are taking a closer look at Tesla's latest robotaxi launch in Austin.
Tesla began offering passenger trips in its driverless Cybercabs in early September, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration soon opened an audit query into the company's certification of the vehicles for use on U.S. roads.
Here's what to know
Per CBS Austin, Tesla has started operating its gold-colored Cybercabs in Austin through the Robotaxi app. The two-seat vehicles have no steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal.
According to Tesla's website, the service is limited to selected areas of Austin. Riders begin their trips using the app and the vehicle's touchscreen, and each Cybercab includes an emergency stop feature that requests an immediate pull-over and connects passengers to Robotaxi Support.
NHTSA said on Sept. 3 that it began an audit query into Tesla's certification that the Cybercab meets the applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.
The agency told CBS Austin that the query is not a recall and does not mean it has found the vehicles unsafe. Instead, NHTSA is reviewing Tesla's technical information and certification process, including whether the company determined that some standards do not apply because the Cybercab does not have conventional human controls.
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Before expanding with the Cybercab, Tesla had been running a driverless Model Y Robotaxi service in Austin since June 2025.
What's being done?
According to CBS Austin, the NHTSA said existing federal safety rules remain in effect while it works on updated regulations for automated vehicles. The audit includes standards covering items such as brake pedals, windshield wipers, lighting, and rearview mirrors.
The agency is also evaluating whether Tesla decided that certain standards do not apply to vehicles that lack traditional human controls.
Tesla told NHTSA it plans to gradually broaden commercial Cybercab deployment to additional vehicles and locations.
"NHTSA fully supports the safe development and deployment of automated vehicles," NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said, per CBS Austin. "But as the federal regulator, we need to ensure that all of our laws are followed."
Where can I learn more?
Tesla's Austin robotaxi launch comes as the company faces federal scrutiny over safety issues and consumer-facing vehicle decisions.
• Federal regulators put Tesla under a probe for crash reporting.
• U.S. investigators examined loose seat belts in Tesla vehicles after owner complaints surfaced.
• Tesla left drivers uneasy after putting a basic safety feature behind a monthly subscription.
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