Tesla operating unsupervised robotaxi rides across six U.S. cities despite NHTSA probe

Tesla is already running driverless passenger rides in parts of Texas and Florida while U.S. safety regulators are investigating how its Full Self-Driving system performs in reduced-visibility conditions. Tesla’s Robotaxi website says rides are currently available in limited areas of Austin, Dallas and Houston, Texas, and Miami, Orlando and Tampa, Florida, using Model Y vehicles. The service is operating before Tesla has broader federal approval for its purpose-built Cybercab, the two-seat vehicle without manual controls that Chief Executive Elon Musk has presented as the company’s dedicated robotaxi product. The Motley Fool reported on Aug. 5 that Tesla remains restricted without those approvals even as it expands unsupervised rides with Model Ys. (tesla.com) ### Which cities are actually live right now? Tesla’s own site lists six active service areas: Austin, Dallas and Houston in Texas, and Miami, Orlando and Tampa in Florida. Tesla support pages say the service is available only in limited zones and that riders can see the operating map inside the Robotaxi app when entering a destination. The company’s quarterly filings show the rollout widened in stages. (fool.com) Tesla said in its first-quarter 2026 update that it launched unsupervised Robotaxi rides in Dallas and Houston in April, and said in its second-quarter 2026 update that it launched Robotaxi in three Florida cities in July. Tesla also said in that second-quarter filing that Robotaxi is now live in seven major metros, with Bay Area operations using FSD (Supervised) under a California permit rather than unsupervised service. (tesla.com) ### What is the federal probe examining? NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA26002 to evaluate Tesla’s Full Self-Driving degradation detection system. The agency says the probe covers an estimated 3,203,754 Tesla vehicles, including Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck vehicles equipped with FSD. The agency said the investigation is focused on whether FSD, when it encounters reduced roadway visibility conditions, can detect that degradation and alert the driver with enough time to respond. (assets-ir.tesla.com) NHTSA said Tesla’s system relies exclusively on vision-based cameras and noted it is reviewing updates or modifications Tesla made to that degradation detection system and Tesla’s assessment of their safety impact. (static.nhtsa.gov) ### How does Tesla describe the current service? Tesla says Robotaxi riders request trips through a dedicated app, review an estimated fare and wait time, and can ask for the ride to pull over or stop if needed. The support page describes the experience as “driverless” and says trip information is shown in both the app and the vehicle touchscreen. Tesla’s Robotaxi page also says the current service is “starting with Model Y” and adds that Cybercab, its purpose-built fully autonomous vehicle, “will offer rides in your area in the future.” That language draws a line between the fleet on the road now and the vehicle Tesla ultimately wants to scale. (static.nhtsa.gov) ### Why does federal approval still matter if rides are already happening? The Motley Fool reported that Tesla still needs its own federal approval for a broader purpose-built fleet, contrasting Tesla’s position with Amazon-owned Zoox, which received temporary NHTSA approval for steering-wheel-free robotaxis. (tesla.com) NHTSA’s Jonathan Morrison said of Zoox’s systems, “We can say pretty clearly that the systems in place on the Zoox exceed the equivalent performance requirements of a compliant vehicle,” according to the report. (tesla.com) Tesla’s next public milestone is the Cybercab rollout it has previewed on its Robotaxi site and in quarterly filings. NHTSA’s engineering analysis into FSD degradation detection remains open, and Tesla’s support page says current Robotaxi service continues only within limited areas of the six listed cities. (tesla.com) (fool.com)