Tesla is under fire from federal safety regulators one day after rolling out its robotaxi rides in Austin.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reached out to Tesla after multiple videos surfaced showing the robotaxis speeding and even swerving into the wrong lane in South Austin. Bloomberg was first to report NHTSA’s contact with Tesla, which TechCrunch confirmed.
Tesla began offering paid rides to invited customers on Sunday, marking the first live test of its unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) robotaxis. Unlike the sold FSD software that requires driver supervision, these robotaxis run without a driver behind the wheel but do include a human “safety monitor” in the front passenger seat. 
Online videos show troubling behavior, including a robotaxi swerving into the wrong lane and sudden, unexplained braking near police vehicles, as captured and shared by Ed Niedermeyer, author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors. TechCrunch reviewed and reposted the video on YouTube.
NHTSA confirmed it is investigating the incidents and is gathering more information from Tesla.
NHTSA stated:
“NHTSA is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information.”
“NHTSA will continue to enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment, in accordance with the Vehicle Safety Act and our data-driven, risk-based investigative process.”
“Under U.S. law, NHTSA does not pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems – rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA’s rigorous safety standards, and the agency investigates incidents involving potential safety defects.”
“Following an assessment of those reports and other relevant information, NHTSA will take any necessary actions to protect road safety.”
Tesla’s robotaxi rollout in Austin is being closely watched after a shaky start that raises serious safety questions about the company’s unsupervised autonomous driving tech.
