NHTSA has opened an Audit Query into Tesla’s certification of the Cybercab as compliant with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, the same day the company began commercial deployment of a small number of the vehicles in Austin, Texas, on September 3, 2026. Tesla notified the agency that it certified those Cybercab vehicles as FMVSS-compliant, though the vehicles lack permanently attached, conventional manual controls. According to the AQ26002 filing, NHTSA will examine the process and technical data on which Tesla relied when making that certification, along with related issues.
Highlights
- Tesla began commercial deployment of a small number of Cybercab vehicles in Austin, Texas, on September 3, 2026
- Tesla certified the vehicles as compliant with all applicable FMVSS despite the absence of a brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel, and mirrors
- NHTSA will consider the extent to which Tesla’s certification depended on determinations that certain FMVSS are inapplicable to the Cybercab
- Tesla told the agency it plans to gradually expand Cybercab deployment to additional vehicles and locations
What Is NHTSA Examining?
The Audit Query covers the process and technical data behind Tesla’s certification decision. Among other things, the agency says it will consider the extent to which that certification depended on Tesla’s determinations that certain Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards do not apply to the Cybercab.
NHTSA lists the action as open from September 3, 2026, to present. The agency has not identified specific components under the query.
Cybercab Lacks Conventional Manual Controls
The Cybercab vehicles deployed in Austin have no permanently attached brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel, or mirrors. Tesla has also told NHTSA it plans to gradually expand commercial deployment of the Cybercab to include additional vehicles and locations beyond the initial Austin fleet.
