Tesla Cybercabs Face Federal Probe After Austin Launch

US transportation safety officials have opened an investigation into Tesla's self-driving Cybercab vehicles just hours after the company began deploying them on public roads in Austin, Texas.

A Tesla Cybercab is displayed in Austin as federal regulators investigate how the autonomous vehicle was certified without traditional steering controls. [Photo: Avda, Wikimedia Commons]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is examining how Tesla certified the Cybercab under federal vehicle-safety standards despite the vehicle's lack of a steering wheel and brake pedal, Reuters reported.

In documents outlining the audit inquiry, NHTSA said Tesla had notified the agency that it had self-certified the Cybercab as compliant with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Automakers generally self-certify that their vehicles comply with federal safety standards.

However, NHTSA said the investigation would examine the process and technical information Tesla relied upon and whether the company determined that certain safety standards were not applicable to the Cybercab.

The issue is particularly significant because existing federal standards still contain requirements involving traditional manual controls.

NHTSA has proposed changes to some of those requirements to accommodate fully autonomous vehicles, but the agency said those changes have not yet taken effect.

Tesla began limited commercial deployment of its two-seat Cybercabs in Austin following a launch event attended by invited guests and influencers.

The investigation does not mean NHTSA has determined that Tesla violated federal law.

Rather, the agency is examining whether Tesla's certification was valid under the standards currently in force.

There is a precedent for such scrutiny. NHTSA previously investigated Amazon-owned Zoox's self-certification of autonomous vehicles that also lacked conventional steering wheels and pedals.