Several points remain open. Whether sales will extend to the general public has not been decided. Reporting describes a later sworn Special Order with a September 30 deadline and a request for an officer's affidavit, though the details of that filing are not yet public. NHTSA has not found a violation, has asked Tesla to explain its reasoning, and has not set a public timeline. Tesla has not requested an exemption. Federal rules currently call for a steering wheel and pedals in commercial operation unless a vehicle is exempted, and pending rule changes could affect the legal basis for the audit, though no timeline has been set. The probe's start date is reported as either September 3 or 4, and NHTSA's own release is dated September 4, shortly after Tesla began commercial rides in Austin. NHTSA is also separately examining Tesla's Full Self-Driving software across millions of vehicles.
The sales launch moves the Cybercab from a fleet product into consumers' hands while the certification question is unresolved. Attorneys tracking this should watch the September 30 Special Order deadline, whether Tesla seeks an exemption, and any NHTSA rulemaking that would change the standards the car must meet. Consumer-facing issues, including deposit terms, subscription terms, and the scope of the "unsupervised" claim, may also draw scrutiny as the audit proceeds.