Tesla robotaxi incidents caught on camera in Austin draw regulators' attention

[marble falls]

Tesla robotaxi incidents caught on camera in Austin draw regulators’ attention

Tesla was contacted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday after videos posted on social media showed the company’s robotaxis driving in a chaotic manner on public roads in Austin, Texas.

Published Mon, Jun 23 20256:54 PM EDTUpdated Tue, Jun 24 20258:13 AM EDT

Lora Kolodny

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/23/tesla-robotaxi-incidents-caught-on-camera-in-austin-get-nhtsa-concern.html





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In the videos shared widely online, one Tesla robotaxi was spotted traveling the wrong way down a road, and another was shown braking hard in the middle of traffic, responding to “stationary police vehicles outside its driving path,” among several other examples.

A spokesperson for NHTSA said in an email that the agency “is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information.”

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The federal safety regulator says it doesn’t “pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems.” Instead, automakers certify that each vehicle model they make meets federal motor vehicle safety standards. The agency says it will investigate “incidents involving potential safety defects,” and take “necessary actions to protect road safety,” after assessing a wide array of reports and information.

NHTSA previously initiated an investigation into possible safety defects with Tesla’s FSD-Supervised technology, or FSD Beta systems, following injurious and fatal accidents. That probe is ongoing.

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2015 Tesla cars would achieve “full autonomy” within three years.
2016, he said a Tesla EV would be capable of making cross-country trip without any human intervention by 2017.
2019, in a group call, Musk told institutional investors that helped him raise more than $2 billion, that Tesla would have 1 million robotaxis on the road in 2020, able to roll 100 hours per week, each.

Curiously, none of that has happened.

[edbermac]

1. From Total Recall to Total Hefail.