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  "name": "NHTSA",
  "kind": "regulator",
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  "description": "Federal vehicle safety regulator investigating Tesla's driver-assistance systems.",
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  ],
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    {
      "slug": "tesla-cybercab-robotaxi",
      "title": "Tesla Robotaxi and Cybercab: From the 2019 Promise to Driverless Rides",
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      "json": "https://whatledto.com/events/tesla-cybercab-robotaxi.json",
      "role": "The federal safety regulator examining Tesla's robotaxi safety practices and Cybercab self-certification.",
      "entries": 7,
      "updated_at": "2026-10-14T05:51:07.641467+00:00"
    }
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    {
      "timeline": "tesla-cybercab-robotaxi",
      "id": 2081,
      "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/tesla-cybercab-robotaxi#n2081",
      "date": "2026-09-22",
      "date_precision": "day",
      "title": "NHTSA extends Tesla's Cybercab Special Order response deadline",
      "summary": "NHTSA granted Tesla a 30-day extension for its response to the Cybercab certification Special Order, setting an October 30 deadline. The September 10 Special Order had required a response by September 30, 2026.",
      "type": "regulatory",
      "entities": [
        "NHTSA",
        "Tesla",
        "Cybercab"
      ],
      "parties": [
        "nhtsa",
        "tesla",
        "cybercab"
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      "sources": [
        {
          "url": "https://teslanorth.com/2026/10/08/cybercab-nhtsa-extension/",
          "outlet": "TeslaNorth",
          "published": null,
          "quote": "NHTSA granted 30 days on September 22."
        },
        {
          "url": "https://cybercabcollective.com/news/nhtsa-sets-october-30-cybercab-response-deadline",
          "outlet": "Cybercab Collective",
          "published": null,
          "quote": "NHTSA has set October 30, 2026 as Tesla’s deadline to answer its Special Order on Cybercab safety certification."
        },
        {
          "url": "https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2026/INIM-AQ26002-17090P1.pdf",
          "outlet": "NHTSA",
          "published": "2026-09-10",
          "quote": "Tesla’s response to this Special Order must be provided to NHTSA’s Office of the Chief \nCounsel by September 30, 2026."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "timeline": "tesla-cybercab-robotaxi",
      "id": 1437,
      "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/tesla-cybercab-robotaxi#n1437",
      "date": "2026-09-10",
      "date_precision": "day",
      "title": "NHTSA orders Tesla to justify the Cybercab's self-certification under oath",
      "summary": "NHTSA issued a Special Order requiring Tesla to show, under oath, how a vehicle with no steering wheel, pedals or mirrors complies with federal safety standards written for human drivers. Tesla has until September 30 to respond, and failing to answer fully and truthfully carries penalties of up to $139 million.",
      "type": "regulatory",
      "entities": [
        "NHTSA",
        "Tesla",
        "Cybercab"
      ],
      "parties": [
        "nhtsa",
        "tesla",
        "cybercab"
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "url": "https://electrek.co/2026/09/15/nhtsa-tesla-cybercab-special-order-fmvss-certification/",
          "outlet": "Electrek",
          "published": "2026-09-15",
          "quote": "The agency issued a formal Special Order on September 10 demanding that the company show, under oath, how a vehicle with no steering wheel, no pedals, and no mirrors complies with federal safety standards written for human drivers."
        },
        {
          "url": "https://electrek.co/2026/09/15/nhtsa-tesla-cybercab-special-order-fmvss-certification/",
          "outlet": "Electrek",
          "published": "2026-09-15",
          "quote": "The agency issued a formal Special Order on September 10 demanding that the company show, under oath, how a vehicle with no steering wheel, no pedals, and no mirrors complies with federal safety standards written for human drivers."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "timeline": "tesla-cybercab-robotaxi",
      "id": 331,
      "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/tesla-cybercab-robotaxi#n331",
      "date": "2026-09-04",
      "date_precision": "day",
      "title": "NHTSA opens Cybercab self-certification audit query",
      "summary": "NHTSA opened an Audit Query into Tesla's certification that the Cybercab meets applicable federal vehicle safety standards. The agency said it would investigate Tesla's certification process and technical data.",
      "type": "regulatory",
      "entities": [
        "NHTSA",
        "Tesla",
        "Cybercab",
        "FMVSS"
      ],
      "parties": [
        "nhtsa",
        "tesla",
        "cybercab",
        "fmvss"
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "url": "https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/investigation-tesla-cybercab-self-certification",
          "outlet": "NHTSA",
          "published": "2026-09-04",
          "quote": "“The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced that it has opened an Audit Query (AQ) to investigate Tesla’s certification that its new Cybercab meets all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).”"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/us-auto-safety-regulator-opens-probe-into-nearly-1000-tesla-cybercabs-4889162",
          "outlet": "Reuters, via Investing.com",
          "published": "2026-09-04",
          "quote": "“The auto safety regulator is examining the process and technical data the EV maker relied on to demonstrate compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards for up to 1,000 Cybercabs.”"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "timeline": "tesla-cybercab-robotaxi",
      "id": 273,
      "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/tesla-cybercab-robotaxi#n273",
      "date": "2026-09-03",
      "date_precision": "day",
      "title": "Cybercab launch: Tesla offers driverless Cybercab rides in parts of Austin; NHTSA says it is evaluating",
      "summary": "On the day of its invitation-only launch event Tesla updated its robotaxi site to say Cybercab rides were available in limited areas of Austin, released a video in which Musk called it the first car built specifically for unsupervised full self-driving, and let attendees ride in the gold two-seaters. NHTSA said it was in contact with Tesla and evaluating the situation, since federal rules cap sales of vehicles without steering wheels and pedals. Texas records showed 45 Cybercabs among 420 Tesla vehicles registered for driverless operation.",
      "type": "launch",
      "entities": [
        "Tesla",
        "Cybercab",
        "Elon Musk",
        "NHTSA"
      ],
      "parties": [
        "tesla",
        "cybercab",
        "elon-musk",
        "nhtsa"
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "url": "https://bworldonline.com/technology/2026/09/04/774661/tesla-starts-cybercab-rides-in-austin-prompting-us-safety-agency-evaluation/",
          "outlet": "BusinessWorld (Reuters)",
          "published": "2026-09-04",
          "quote": "Tesla said on Thursday it was offering rides in “limited areas of Austin, Texas” in its two-seater Cybercab, a vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, with the auto safety agency responding that it was evaluating the matter."
        },
        {
          "url": "https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/tesla-unveils-cybercab-robotaxi-exclusive-220441497.html",
          "outlet": "Austin American-Statesman via Yahoo",
          "published": "2026-09-03",
          "quote": "Tesla said Cybercab rides now are available only in a limited area in Austin, though."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "timeline": "tesla-cybercab-robotaxi",
      "id": 281,
      "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/tesla-cybercab-robotaxi#n281",
      "date": "2026-06-26",
      "date_precision": "day",
      "title": "NHTSA proposes ADS brake-rule changes for vehicles without manual controls",
      "summary": "NHTSA published a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend FMVSS No. 135. The proposal addressed application of the brake standard to vehicles with and without manually operated driving controls, while retaining stopping-distance requirements.",
      "type": "regulatory",
      "entities": [
        "NHTSA",
        "FMVSS No. 135",
        "Tesla",
        "Cybercab"
      ],
      "parties": [
        "nhtsa",
        "fmvss-no-135",
        "tesla",
        "cybercab"
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "url": "https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-15231.pdf",
          "outlet": "National Highway Traffic Safety Administration",
          "published": "2026-07-28",
          "quote": "On June 26, 2026, NHTSA published an NPRM to amend FMVSS No. 135."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "timeline": "tesla-cybercab-robotaxi",
      "id": 275,
      "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/tesla-cybercab-robotaxi#n275",
      "date": "2026-05-15",
      "date_precision": "day",
      "title": "Tesla stops redacting robotaxi crash narratives; two low-speed collisions were caused by teleoperators",
      "summary": "Newly unredacted crash reports released by NHTSA gave narrative descriptions for all 17 crashes Tesla had logged on the Robotaxi network since launch; Tesla had previously blacked out every description as confidential. Two of the crashes, in July 2025 and January 2026 in Austin, happened while a remote operator was driving the car at under 10 mph after the safety monitor asked for help: one mounted a curb into a metal fence, the other scraped a construction barricade. Other cases included an unprotected left turn into a parking-lot chain and a dog that ran into the road. Most of the rest were other vehicles hitting the Teslas. Musk had said the month before that making sure things are completely safe was the biggest limit on expansion.",
      "type": "report",
      "entities": [
        "Tesla",
        "NHTSA",
        "Elon Musk"
      ],
      "parties": [
        "tesla",
        "nhtsa",
        "elon-musk"
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/15/tesla-reveals-two-robotaxi-crashes-involving-teleoperators/",
          "outlet": "TechCrunch",
          "published": "2026-05-15",
          "quote": "It’s not clear why, but Tesla changed course this week, and the latest version of the data released by the NHTSA now provides a narrative description for all 17 crashes Tesla has recorded since last year with its nascent Robotaxi network."
        }
      ]
    },
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      "id": 261,
      "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/tesla-cybercab-robotaxi#n261",
      "date": "2025-05-08",
      "date_precision": "day",
      "title": "NHTSA sends Tesla questions about the Austin robotaxi plan as part of its FSD low-visibility probe",
      "summary": "A letter dated May 8 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation, published on May 12, asked Tesla how it would evaluate its robotaxi vehicles for public roads: fleet size and models, how the system relates to FSD Supervised, how safety would be judged, whether future vehicles would meet federal safety standards or need exemptions, and how the cars would handle sun glare, fog, dust, rain or snow. The letter cited Tesla's April 23 post about its employee ride-hailing pilot and set a June 19 deadline.",
      "type": "regulatory",
      "entities": [
        "Tesla",
        "NHTSA"
      ],
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        "nhtsa"
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      "sources": [
        {
          "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/12/teslas-robotaxi-plans-have-the-attention-of-federal-investigators/",
          "outlet": "TechCrunch",
          "published": "2025-05-12",
          "quote": "Federal safety investigators have sent Tesla a detailed list of questions on its upcoming robotaxi service as part of an investigation into how the company’s “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” software operates in low-visibility conditions."
        },
        {
          "url": "https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2024/INIM-PE24031-62887.pdf",
          "outlet": "NHTSA",
          "published": "2025-05-08",
          "quote": "This letter is to inform you that the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is requesting certain information from Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) regarding Tesla’s recent announcements and ongoing development of driving automation technologies."
        }
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