NHTSA Opens Probe Into 1,000 Tesla Cybercabs With No Steering Wheel or Pedals
Tesla Cybercab. Image: Maxim/Unsplash
NHTSA is reviewing Tesla’s certification of about 1,000 Cybercabs as the steering-wheel-free robotaxi begins paid service in Austin.
Sep 7, 2026
Tesla had barely begun charging passengers for rides in its steering-wheel-free Cybercab when federal regulators started examining how the vehicle was certified for public roads.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an audit covering about 1,000 Tesla Cybercabs, examining how the company determined that its steering-wheel-free robotaxi complies with federal vehicle safety standards.
The two-seat Cybercab began commercial service in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 3. Unlike conventional cars, it has no steering wheel, accelerator pedal, brake pedal, or mirrors.
Tesla told NHTSA that it had self-certified the vehicles as compliant with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and planned to gradually expand the service to more vehicles and locations, according to Reuters.
The central question is not whether the Cybercab can drive...
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