Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet is facing fresh federal scrutiny. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an inquiry into claims that Tesla’s Robotaxis exceed speed limits in active school zones, as reported by Drive Tesla Canada.
The defect petition inquiry, opened on October 9, covers an estimated 1,000 vehicles, including both retrofitted Model Y robotaxis and purpose-built Cybercabs.
What NHTSA Is Looking Into
The inquiry stems from a petition submitted on September 23, which alleges that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system doesn’t obey reduced speed limits in school zones. The petitioner included three videos as evidence.
NHTSA has identified four incidents of Robotaxis exhibiting this behavior so far: one formal complaint filed with the agency and three reports shared on social media. None involved a collision, injury, or fatality.
It’s still early. NHTSA hasn’t determined whether Tesla’s Robotaxi software has a safety defect, and it’s reviewing the evidence before deciding whether to open a formal investigation. Tesla isn’t the only one facing these questions, either. Waymo has also drawn federal scrutiny over incidents involving school buses and reduced-speed areas.
The new inquiry comes as Tesla keeps growing its Robotaxi network. Tesla says it now operates a fleet of more than 300 Cybercabs in Austin — in addition to Model Y robotaxis — and Dallas is next in line for Cybercab rides.
For now, Robotaxi operations continue while NHTSA reviews the school zone evidence. The agency’s decision on whether to escalate to a formal investigation, along with Tesla’s October 30 response on the Cybercab probe, will show how much these probes could slow Tesla’s expansion plans (if at all).
Tesla’s Automations feature looks ready to launch outside of China. Maciej Wilczyński (@maciej) shared a video on X showing the app running in English, saying it now appears “fully polished and present in latest firmware revisions,” but hidden from view behind a feature flag. With help from @CoilShift, he enabled it to show off the feature in its stock condition without any modifications.
Tesla Android Project creator Michał Gapiński (@mikegapinski), who works with Wilczyński, also enabled the Automations feature on another vehicle and shared a video showing off how it works. He compared it to “the first version of Shortcuts on iOS.”
Automations first rolled out to Tesla owners in China earlier this year. The English version suggests Tesla is now preparing to bring it to other regions.
What Tesla’s Automations Feature Does
If you’ve used Apple Shortcuts or Android’s Tasker, Automations will feel familiar. It uses “If This, Then That” logic, letting you pick a trigger, add optional conditions, and chain together one or more actions.
Not a Tesla App
Wilczyński’s video shows how it works. You tap “Create an automation,” choose a trigger like the driver’s seatbelt being buckled, then add a condition such as the passenger seatbelt being unbuckled. Finally, you pick an action, like setting the media volume to 9.3. Triggers and actions are sorted into categories with a search bar, and you can add delays between actions.
Wilczyński’s car also had a few other automations saved. One enables both child locks and the window lock when you say “Child Mode,” and another has the car announce “Gear Shifted” when you start driving or reversing. Each automation appears as a card that you can switch off without deleting it.
There are some limits. Automations only run when the center display is on, and they can’t be triggered while Autopilot or FSD is active. Actions that control FSD aren’t available either, although you’ll soon be able to do that with Grok.
Triggers and Actions
You can pair one or more triggers with any action or set of actions. The triggers also work as conditions.
Category
Triggers
Actions
Time
Time, Sunrise, Sunset
Delay
Environment
Outside Temperature, Outside Temperature Range, Outside Air Quality, Outside Brightness
N/A
Voice
Voice Trigger
Voice Announcement
Seats
Driver, Passenger, Second Row Left and Second Row Right Seat, Any Seat Occupied
Heat & Cool: Driver, Passenger, Second Row Left and Second Row Right Seat Climate, Steering Wheel Heater
Seatbelt
Driver, Passenger, Second Row Left and Second Row Right Seatbelt, Any Seatbelt Buckled, Any Seatbelt Unbuckled
N/A
Doors & Windows
Door and Window States (all four), Window Lock, Door Child Lock State, Frunk State, Trunk State
Open Each Window, Window Lock, Door Child Lock, Frunk, Trunk, Glove Box
Drive
Gear State, Vehicle Speed, Odometer
Acceleration Mode, Regenerative Braking
Charging
Charging State, Charge Port, Battery Level, Front Wireless Phone Pad
Charge Port
HVAC
HVAC State
Front and Second Row HVAC, Driver and Passenger Temperature, Front Temperature Zone Split, Front HVAC Auto, Fan Speed, A/C, Intake Mode, Wipers, Wiper Heat, Front and Rear Defrost, Front and Second Row Airflow
Location
Arrived at/Left Location, Home or Work
N/A
Navigation
Navigation Destination, Navigated to Home or Work, Time to Arrival, Distance to Arrival
Navigate to Location, Home or Work, Nav Voice Guidance
Phone
Phone Call State
Phone Call
Media
N/A
Media Commands, Music Play Song, Music Playlist, Media Volume
Lights
N/A
Dome, Accent and Footwell Light, Headlights, Headlights After Exit, Rear Fog Light
With the feature translated and only hidden behind a flag, Automations is a strong candidate for this year’s Holiday Update, Tesla’s biggest software release of the year. Don’t expect it before then.
![Tesla Is Currently Charging Driverless Robotaxis by Hand [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/robotaxi/cybercab_wireless_charging.png/5f6d15a2c2c51fabcba2ca185490a6f9/cybercab_wireless_charging.jpg)
