Tesla robotaxi incidents draw attention of federal safety regulators

Tesla Inc. robotaxis that appeared to violate traffic laws during the company’s first day offering paid rides in Austin have drawn the attention of federal safety regulators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday it was aware of the incidents shared in videos posted after the automaker rolled out its ride-hailing service this weekend to invitees — largely Tesla fans — who posted videos and reviews on CEO Elon Musk’s X social media site.

One showed a robotaxi traveling in the wrong lane then veering across double yellow lines, another incorrectly navigating a busy intersection for a passenger drop-off and a third braking hard in traffic in response to “stationary police vehicles outside its driving path.”

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“NHTSA is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information,” it said in a statement. “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.”

The safety regulator said it doesn’t “pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems,” but certifies that vehicle models meet federal safety standards.

The agency’s scrutiny was first reported by Bloomberg news.

One invitee to Sunday’s rollout, Rob Maurer, was the passenger on the 10-mile ride across South Austin that demonstrated the robotaxi failing to complete a left-hand turn, driving on the wrong side of the road then whipping back into the correct lane. Still, he said in a later post, “After multiple Tesla Robotaxi and Waymo rides in Austin, I have to say Tesla is quite a bit smoother.”

Some of those invited to the demonstration have declined to be interviewed regarding their participation or terms they agreed to in order to be included. Tesla also has declined to comment.

The federal safety agency is already conducting another investigation into Tesla’s vehicles equipped with its Full Self-Driving software, which is available in its vehicles and is the technology used for its autonomous robotaxis. The regulator sent Tesla a letter in May asking for information about the company’s crash reporting, how the robotaxis comply with traffic laws and its automated emergency response. It also asked for information about how the vehicles operate in low-visibility conditions.

Tesla responded by a Friday deadline, the agency said, but asked that its responses to be kept confidential, saying public access to information could pose “competitive harm.” The federal regulator granted the confidentiality.

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system, which was first marketed for use as an advanced driver-assistance system requiring the driver to have their hands on the wheel, has faced scrutiny. The software rely largely on cameras and machine-learning sensors but lack the radar or LiDAR sensors used on other autonomous vehicles, such as Alphabet’s Waymo.

After this week’s demonstration, the Dawn Project, a California-based group that aims to raise awareness about the dangers of unsafe software, criticized Tesla’s performance, saying the invitees' videos illustrated “critical safety defects.” The group hosted an anti-Tesla demonstration last week it said showed Tesla’s automation does not stop a vehicle for pulled-over school buses or children that walk into traffic.

Ahead of Tesla’s planned rollout this week, a group of Austin-area state lawmakers sent a letter asking the company to delay the launch to ensure it complies with new regulatory laws going into effect on Sept. 1. Austin City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes has expressed similar concerns over the company’s safety track records.

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The service is not yet available to the general public and only operating in a limited area of the city. It’s unclear when it will be more widely available.

Tesla stock jumped about 8% Monday, apparently in response to the company’s long-promised robotaxi rollout but fell again Tuesday. Shares were down nearly 2% by midafternoon.

Musk has bet a successful robotaxi rollout will pull the company out of a slump it’s been facing this year as stock prices and sales have collapsed, but it’s facing stiff competition. Though he has been teasing fully autonomous vehicles for a decade, Tesla has been passed by competitors like Waymo, which launched earlier this year in Austin and recently notched 10 million paid trips all of its markets. It launched in Atlanta in partnership with Uber this week and is testing in San Antonio and other cities. Other companies also are currently testing in Austin.