NHTSA probes Tesla’s driverless taxi rollout amid safety concerns

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a formal safety investigation into Tesla’s newly introduced driverless taxi service, Al Jazeera reported. The probe follows the company’s decision to roll out autonomous ride‑hailing vehicles in a handful of U.S. cities, marking the first time Tesla has offered a fully self‑driving commercial service without a human driver behind the wheel.

Tesla’s “Tesla Network” aims to provide on‑demand transportation using vehicles equipped with the latest version of its Full Self‑Driving (FSD) software. The company announced that a limited fleet would begin operating in cities such as Austin, Texas, and Miami, Florida, where it has already run extensive beta tests. While Tesla touts the service as a step toward a future of zero‑emission, driverless mobility, the NHTSA inquiry seeks to assess whether the vehicles meet federal safety standards under real‑world conditions.

The regulator’s involvement is not unprecedented. NHTSA has previously examined Tesla’s FSD beta after several high‑profile crashes, including a 2023 incident in Texas where a vehicle failed to recognize a stopped fire truck. Those investigations highlighted concerns about the system’s ability to handle unexpected road scenarios and prompted calls for stricter oversight of autonomous driving technologies. By opening a new probe, officials signal that the transition from driver‑assisted features to fully autonomous operation will be scrutinized closely.

Industry analysts note that the driverless‑taxi market is still nascent, with companies like Waymo and Cruise already operating limited services under special permits. Federal guidelines for autonomous vehicles remain fragmented, and each state may impose its own testing rules. The NHTSA inquiry could therefore influence not only Tesla’s rollout timeline but also broader regulatory approaches to robotaxis across the United States.

For consumers, the investigation may affect the availability of driverless rides in the coming months. Tesla has said it will cooperate fully with NHTSA and continue to collect data from its fleet to improve safety. The outcome of the probe will likely determine whether the company can expand the service beyond its pilot cities or must pause operations while addressing any identified deficiencies.