US auto safety regulator opens probe into nearly 1,000 Tesla Cybercabs

Sept. 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has opened an audit into about 1,000 Tesla TSLA.O Cybercab vehicles, examining the process and technical data the EV maker relied on to claim compliance with federal vehicle safety standards.

The probe comes after Tesla on Thursday began commercial deployment of a small number of the two-seater Cybercab in Austin, Texas, and said it planned to gradually expand the service to additional vehicles and locations.

NHTSA said the Cybercab lacks permanently attached conventional manual controls, including a steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal and mirrors.

The agency said it would examine the basis for Tesla's certification and related issues, including the extent to which the company determined that certain Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards were not applicable to the vehicle.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The EV maker had 420 autonomous vehicles registered in Texas as of Friday morning, according to state records, including 45 Cybercab vehicles.