Tesla Inc is facing scrutiny from US auto-safety regulators over whether its driverless taxis exceed posted speed limits near schools, a new hurdle for the automaker’s slow-growing robotaxi service.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it’s evaluating the claim that Tesla Cybercab and Model Y vehicles using automated systems drive too fast in active school zones. The move stems from a recently filed petition that offers video of several incidents as supporting evidence, according to documents posted on Oct 12 to NHTSA’s website.
The preliminary probe covers an estimated 1,000 vehicles from the 2026 model year, NHTSA said. The agency has not yet decided whether to grant or deny the petitioner’s request for a full investigation.
Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg.
The new probe threatens to further complicate Tesla’s plan to expand its robotaxi service, which launched last year but still is limited to a small number of cities and in some instances uses human safety monitors. Chief executive officer Elon Musk sees the business as central to his effort to reorient the car manufacturer around futuristic business lines such as autonomous driving and humanoid robots.
NHTSA has a separate investigation underway into the process and technical data Tesla relied on when the company self-certified the Cybercab, a two-seat car with no steering wheel or foot pedals.
Complaints over conduct in school zones are recall issues that Waymo, the leading robotaxi operator, has had involving school buses. NHTSA opened an investigation late last year into the Alphabet Inc-owned company, followed by a similar probe several months later from the National Transportation Safety Board, over incidents in which Waymo vehicles failed to fully slow or stop for school buses. – Bloomberg
