The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation on Friday to determine whether Tesla adequately self-certified its autonomous Cybercab robotaxi for compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards. ^[1] Tesla has started offering rides in Austin using its Cybercab vehicle. ^[2] The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on 2026-09-04 that it is opening an investigation into whether Tesla's new steering-wheel-free Cybercabs comply with federal safety rules. ^[3] Tesla introduced the Cybercab, a robotaxi designed from scratch to operate without a human driver, steering wheel, or pedals. ^[4] NHTSA is examining the process and technical data Tesla used to demonstrate compliance with federal safety standards for up to 1,000 Cybercabs. ^[5] NHTSA noted that the Cybercab lacks conventional manual controls such as a steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, and mirrors. ^[6] Tesla began commercial deployment of a small number of two-seat Cybercabs in Austin, Texas on Thursday. ^[7] CEO Elon Musk stated that the Cybercab is key to transforming Tesla into a dominant force in driverless vehicles. ^[8] According to a statement on the regulator's website, the audit aims to determine the technical data and processes Tesla used to certify the Cybercab and identify any inherent issues. ^[9] Federal regulations currently mandate the presence of steering wheels and pedals for commercial vehicle operations unless a specific exemption is granted, which Tesla has not sought. ^[10] Tesla notified the agency that it certified the Cybercab as compliant with applicable standards and planned to expand its deployment to more vehicles and locations. ^[11] Tesla is facing several other federal investigations into the safety of its self-driving software, including probes into crashes in low-visibility conditions and incidents where partial self-driving software caused vehicles to run red lights or drive on the wrong side of the road. ^[12]