Federal regulators open an audit of how Tesla certified the Cybercab, on the day commercial deployment began in Austin
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened Audit Query AQ26002 on September 3rd, 2026, the same day Tesla began commercial deployment of the Cybercab in Austin. The agency records that the vehicles lack permanently attached, conventional manual controls, naming a brake pedal, a gas pedal, a steering wheel and mirrors. Tesla certified the vehicle itself as meeting every applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard and told the agency it had done so. The audit does not ask how the vehicle drives. It examines the process and the technical data behind that certification. The agency says it will consider how far that certification rested on Tesla deciding that certain standards do not apply. The vehicle was built without the controls those standards were written for. The estimated population is a thousand vehicles and Tesla has told the agency it plans to add more vehicles and more locations.
How to take part
The agency publishes the opening resume for the audit at its own investigation site. Anyone can read the scope, the docket number and the estimated population in the agency's own words. An audit query takes no public comment. What a member of the public can do is read the resume and file a vehicle safety complaint with the same office.
Where
1 county. In Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos.
Timeline
- filed
Audit Query AQ26002 opened, and commercial deployment began in Austin the same day
- Today
How this decision moved
One dated line per check, oldest first. A line that says nothing changed means somebody looked and it had not.
- 2026-09-10
The agency's opening resume is published and carries the docket number, the date, the estimated population and the scope in the agency's own words. The audit is open and nothing has been reported closed.
The evidence
Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.
Investigation: AQ26002NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
Date Opened: 09/03/2026NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
Population: 1,000 (Estimated)NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
Examination of the process and technical data on which Tesla relied when certifying the Cybercab and related issues.NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
On September 3, 2026, Tesla began commercial deployment with a small number of its Cybercab vehicles in Austin, Texas.NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
Tesla notified the Agency that it certified those Cybercab vehicles as compliant with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
The vehicles lack permanently attached, conventional manual controls, such as a brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel, and mirrors.NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
Among other things, NHTSA will consider the extent to which Tesla’s certification depended on determinations that certain FMVSS are inapplicable to the Cybercab.NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
Tesla also notified the Agency that it plans to gradually expand commercial deployment of the Cybercab to include additional vehicles and locations.NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
Prompted By: Public InformationNHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
Action: Open Audit Query (AQ)NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
Investigator: Syed Rahaman Reviewer: Neil DoldNHTSA Office of Defects Investigation opening resume, AQ26002 Primary source, official · static.nhtsa.gov
Questions about this decision
Answered from the record itself. Every answer is assembled from stored fields, so an answer the record has no basis for is left out rather than guessed.
What is this decision?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened Audit Query AQ26002 on September 3rd, 2026, the same day Tesla began commercial deployment of the Cybercab in Austin. The agency records that the vehicles lack permanently attached, conventional manual controls, naming a brake pedal, a gas pedal, a steering wheel and mirrors. Tesla certified the vehicle itself as meeting every applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard and told the agency it had done so. The audit does not ask how the vehicle drives. It examines the process and the technical data behind that certification. The agency says it will consider how far that certification rested on Tesla deciding that certain standards do not apply. The vehicle was built without the controls those standards were written for. The estimated population is a thousand vehicles and Tesla has told the agency it plans to add more vehicles and more locations.
Who decides it?
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation decides. The record names the deciding body for every entry it carries.
Can the public take part?
The agency publishes the opening resume for the audit at its own investigation site. Anyone can read the scope, the docket number and the estimated population in the agency's own words. An audit query takes no public comment. What a member of the public can do is read the resume and file a vehicle safety complaint with the same office. No dated public window is on the record. The deciding body is named and reachable.
Where in Texas does it apply?
It covers Travis County.
Has it been decided?
Its status on the record is open.
What happens next?
No future date is on the record. The last dated step on it was filed on September 3rd.
When did it start?
The earliest date on its record is September 3rd, 2026.
What kind of decision is it?
It is filed under defense and federal.
What sources back it?
One source backs it. It is primary.
Is it on the ERCOT grid?
Yes. It sits inside the ERCOT interconnection.
When was it last checked?
Every fact on it was last verified against its source on September 10th, 2026.
Cite this
Texas AI Docket, Federal regulators open an audit of how Tesla certified the Cybercab, on the day commercial deployment began in Austin. Tracked since September 3rd, 2026. Last verified September 10th, 2026. https://texasaidocket.com/item/tx-2026-0140/. Reuse permitted under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. The same entry is in the docket JSON as item tx-2026-0140.
Beat
Filed under Defense and federal, with every other decision on that beat.