The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) contacted Tesla after videos surfaced on social media showed its robotaxi driving erratically near Austin, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
On Sunday, Tesla launched a robotaxi trial in Texas, marking the first time the company’s driverless vehicles have carried paying passengers without human intervention.
The carmaker deployed a small fleet of autonomous taxis in Austin, offering rides at a fixed rate of $4.20 via a dedicated robotaxi app, according to a post by Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk on X.
Musk described the launch as the “culmination of a decade of hard work,” crediting Tesla’s in-house development of AI chips and software.
Despite Musk’s praise of the mission, some videos posted online seem to show that his robotaxis drive erratically, struggling with real-world scenarios and raising concerns over passengers’ safety, the BBC said.
A video circulating on social media appears to show a robotaxi stopping abruptly as it passed a parked police car.
The NHTSA said in a statement it was “aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information.”
The safety agency highlighted that under the law it “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.”
Analysts have previously warned that despite the launch, Tesla still faces significant hurdles in scaling the service.
On Monday, Reuters reported that Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University professor and autonomous vehicle technology expert, said it could take “years or decades” for Tesla and rivals like Alphabet’s Waymo to fully establish a robotaxi industry.
“A successful experiment in Austin for Tesla would be the end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end,” Koopman added.
As Tesla’s robotaxi initiative progresses, Texas has introduced new regulations for autonomous vehicles.
Governor Greg Abbott signed a law on Friday requiring companies to obtain a state permit before operating driverless vehicles on public roads.
The rules mandate that autonomous vehicles must be registered, insured, and compliant with federal safety standards, while also providing emergency response protocols for authorities. The law takes effect on 1 September.
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