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- Sep 30, 202675% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
Tesla's Sworn Answers on Cybercab Certification Are Due to NHTSA
- NHTSA opened Audit Query AQ26002 on 3 September 2026, the day Tesla began commercial Cybercab service in Austin, to test how Tesla certified the Cybercab as meeting every Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard[1]
- On 10 September Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser escalated it to a Special Order: Tesla must answer by 30 September 2026, signed under oath by a responsible Tesla officer[1][3]
- The 21 requests ask whether temporary human controls were used during certification testing, which standards Tesla thinks do not apply to a driverless car, and how it meets rules on displays, mirrors, stability-control telltales and brakes[1][5]
- FMVSS No. 135 says the service brakes 'shall be activated by means of a foot control'; the Cybercab has no brake pedal[3][5]
- NHTSA also asks how the Cybercab complies without an exemption under 49 CFR Part 555, the route Zoox used[1][4]
- Failing to answer fully or truthfully risks civil penalties of up to $27,874 a day, capped at $139,356,994, and falsifying answers up to 15 years in prison[1]
- The order does not pause the service: Cybercabs kept carrying riders in Austin, and some were seen gathered in Houston[2][4]
References 576% CONFIDENCEOverall confidence: 76%How well the pin's source and references back up its dates.Weighted average of how firmly 5 references, the source included, support the pin's start and end times; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newestShow all pins at 75% confidence or better
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]75%static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2026/INIM-AQ26002-17090P1.pdfstatic.nhtsa.gov· Posted Sep 28, 2026· Starts Sep 30, 2026 ✓· 21% of score
NHTSA's Special Order, dated September 10, 2026: 'Tesla's response to this Special Order must be provided to NHTSA's Office of the Chief Counsel by September 30, 2026. Tesla's response must be signed under oath'. No time of day is given, so the pin is all day.
- [2]70%Tesla Sends Cybercabs to Houston as NHTSA Presses for Sworn Answersstartupfortune.com· Published Sep 22, 2026· 20% of score
Startup Fortune reports Cybercabs and Model Y Robotaxis gathered at a lot in Houston around 19-20 September, some with steering wheels, while the 30 September sworn-answer deadline stood.
- [3]80%Foot-Brake Rule Still Applies: NHTSA Puts Tesla Cybercab Under Sworn Oathtechtimes.com· Published Sep 17, 2026· 20% of score
Tech Times: Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser signed the order on 10 September, addressed to Tesla's head of litigation Brian Jazaeri and regulatory counsel Eric Williams; FMVSS No. 135 says service brakes 'shall be activated by means of a foot control'.
- [4]75%NHTSA just escalated its Tesla Cybercab investigation in a big wayteslarati.com· Published Sep 17, 2026· 20% of score
Teslarati (a Tesla enthusiast site) explains that a Special Order turns the fact-finding audit into a legally enforceable demand, notes Zoox got a Part 555 exemption in July, and that the order does not claim the Cybercab is unsafe.
- [5]80%NHTSA Orders Tesla to Answer 21 Questions on Cybercab Certificationdriveteslacanada.ca· Published Sep 16, 2026· 20% of score
Drive Tesla Canada: 'Tesla has until September 30 to provide sworn answers to 21 detailed questions'; the order asks about temporary driver controls used in certification testing, standards Tesla thinks do not apply, and the missing brake pedal.
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