{"id":"a584553a-e549-4144-a5a0-99b1a11448d1","slug":"tesla-krishnamoorthi-fsd-sleeping-drivers-letter-2026-09","kind":"regulatory_action","headline":"Rep. Krishnamoorthi presses NHTSA/DOT on Tesla FSD driver-monitoring after sleeping-driver videos and a nine-incident reduced-visibility probe","summary":"On September 9, 2026, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy citing an NBC News investigation that identified 43 videos appearing to show individuals asleep in the driver's seat of moving Teslas with a driver-assistance system engaged, including 17 posted in 2026. The letter also references an NHTSA probe that identified nine incidents tied to reduced-visibility conditions, including one fatality and one injury, part of the FSD investigation NHTSA upgraded from a preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis in March 2026. Krishnamoorthi asked whether NHTSA has evaluated the driver-monitoring system's effectiveness when the cabin camera is obstructed and what findings would constitute a safety defect, requesting a written response by September 30, 2026.","occurredAt":"2026-09-09T00:00:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"reviewed","modelId":null,"deploymentId":null,"companyId":"bde7c8a1-5d35-449d-93b0-2ac8e4601c16","dataCenterId":null,"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"moderate","rootCauseCategory":null,"rootCauseDetail":null,"affectedUnitsCount":null,"affectedUnitsBasis":null,"remediationStatus":null,"regulatoryAction":"inquiry_opened","regulatoryBody":"NHTSA","propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":null,"fatalityCount":null,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"formFactor":null,"latitude":null,"longitude":null,"autonomyClass":null,"legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-09-11T22:41:27.298Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-29T18:42:05.393Z","model":null,"deployment":null,"company":{"id":"bde7c8a1-5d35-449d-93b0-2ac8e4601c16","name":"Tesla","slug":"tesla","description":"Electric-vehicle and AI company (NASDAQ: TSLA), founded 2003 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, with a physical-AI program spanning three robotics fronts: a [robotaxi ride-hailing service](/models/tesla-robotaxi), the [Optimus](/models/tesla-optimus) humanoid robot, and the forthcoming purpose-built [Cybercab](/models/tesla-cybercab).\n\nRobotaxi: Tesla launched robotaxi service in Austin in July 2025 and operates in two markets as of mid-2026: Austin (unsupervised L4 driverless; small active fleet of ~14, of ~42 vehicles registered with the Texas DMV, late May 2026) and the San Francisco Bay Area (supervised L2 under a CPUC TCP permit; ~1,655 vehicles registered with CPUC but only ~9 active as of late May 2026, down from a ~168 peak in January 2026). The active US unsupervised fleet is ~20 (14 Austin / 3 Dallas / 3 Houston) and has declined since a late-2025 / early-2026 peak; registered counts far exceed the active operating fleet. The vehicles are 2026 Model Y cars running Tesla's [Full Self-Driving / Autonomous Driving System](/brains/tesla-fsd-bot). At its Q4 2025 earnings call (January 2026), Tesla announced plans to expand to seven additional US cities (Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Las Vegas) in H1 2026; Dallas and Houston launched in April 2026, while the other five (Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Las Vegas) slipped to 'preparations underway'. The Austin operation carries a [federally-mandated crash-reporting record](/incidents/tesla-robotaxi-austin-nhtsa-crash-record-2025-2026) (17 NHTSA-reported incidents July 2025 to March 2026, including two teleoperator-caused crashes; zero major crashes and no citations per Austin PD), and NHTSA has separately inquired into videos of erratic driving.\n\nOptimus: Tesla's humanoid robot, with Gen 3 mass production commencing at the Fremont factory on January 21, 2026. Notably, at the January 2026 earnings call [Musk](/people/elon-musk) admitted that as of then zero Optimus robots were doing 'useful work' in Tesla's factories. Units at Fremont and Giga Texas are in a supervised learning and data-collection phase, not yet performing productive autonomous manufacturing work. Tesla committed $20B+ in 2026 capex toward Optimus, plans to convert its Fremont Model S/X lines to Optimus manufacturing (toward a stated 1-million-unit/year capacity by end-2026), and is constructing a dedicated Giga Texas facility, all production-capacity ambitions, with first productive internal deployment projected for late 2026 to 2027.\n\nCybercab: a purpose-built, steering-wheel-free dedicated robotaxi vehicle, with production expected to begin around April 2026, not yet the deployed service vehicle as of early 2026.\n\nTesla's physical-AI program operates under intense regulatory and public scrutiny, and is notable for the gap between its publicly stated targets and demonstrated results.","status":"public","founded":2003,"hq":"Austin, Texas, USA","hqLat":30.2711286,"hqLng":-97.7436995,"hqGeocodedAt":"2026-08-05T14:51:18.270Z","hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":"tesla.com","fundingTotal":null,"type":"both","roles":["robot_maker","robot_operator"],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","heatIndex":73,"lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.tesla.com/we-robot","title":"Tesla — Optimus","sourceName":"Tesla","publishedAt":"2026-01-01"},{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_(robot)","title":"Optimus (robot) — Wikipedia","sourceName":"Wikipedia","publishedAt":"2026-01-01"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/21/waymo-halts-freeway-rides-after-robotaxis-struggle-in-construction-zones/","title":"Waymo halts freeway rides after robotaxis struggle in construction zones","sourceName":"Transportation & Auto News | TechCrunch","publishedAt":"2026-05-21T22:15:00.000Z"},{"url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-austin-14-crashes-nhtsa/","title":"Tesla robotaxi Austin launch, expansion plans, NHTSA erratic-driving inquiry","sourceName":"CBS News","publishedAt":"2026-02-17"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/15/tesla-reveals-two-robotaxi-crashes-involving-teleoperators/","title":"Tesla's two teleoperator-caused robotaxi crashes; 17 NHTSA incidents unredacted","sourceName":"TechCrunch","publishedAt":"2026-05-15"},{"url":"https://electrek.co/2026/04/22/tesla-optimus-production-fremont-model-sx-line/","title":"Musk admits zero Optimus doing useful work; Fremont Model S/X line conversion to Optimus","sourceName":"Electrek","publishedAt":"2026-04-22"},{"url":"https://electrek.co/2026/05/26/tesla-robotaxi-fleet-shrinking-not-growing/","title":"Tesla robotaxi active fleet shrinking (34 total/20 unsupervised, May 2026); safety bottleneck","sourceName":"Electrek","publishedAt":"2026-05-26"},{"url":"https://electrek.co/2026/04/18/tesla-robotaxi-launches-dallas-houston-small-geofences/","title":"Tesla robotaxi Dallas/Houston launch; fleet ~80 Austin; transparency/redaction record","sourceName":"Electrek","publishedAt":"2026-04-18"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/28/waymo-dominates-texas-autonomous-vehicle-registrations-as-tesla-trails-behind/","title":"Waymo dominates autonomous vehicle registrations as Tesla trails behind","sourceName":"Transportation & Auto News | TechCrunch","publishedAt":"2026-05-29T00:14:35.000Z"},{"url":"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/regulatory-services/licensing/transportation-licensing-and-analysis-branch/autonomous-vehicle-programs/autonomous-vehicle-program-permits-issued","title":"CPUC — passenger-transportation / AV program permits. Tesla holds a TCP (charter-party) permit for the CA Bay Area ride-hailing service; ~1,655 vehicles registered per CPUC TCP filings (reported late May 2026).","sourceName":"California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)"},{"url":"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-28/tesla-reveals-its-texas-robotaxi-fleet-is-dwarfed-by-waymo-s","title":"Tesla's Texas robotaxi fleet is 42 vehicles (official TX DMV registration), dwarfed by Waymo's (May 28 2026)","sourceName":"Bloomberg"},{"url":"https://x.com/Tesla_App_iOS/status/2101086887020569051","title":"Tesla app 4.61.0 decompile: Optimus as home Energy site / charger IDs","sourceName":"Tesla_App_iOS (app decompile)"},{"url":"https://x.com/wholemars/status/2101098431016251665","title":"Optimus charger support flagged in Tesla app","sourceName":"Whole Mars"},{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/DdcBwV3GfaV/","title":"Tesla says FSD cut collisions 40% in Australia and New Zealand","sourceName":"Instagram (Tesla / via Deploy.Report digest)","publishedAt":"2026-09-18"},{"url":"https://cnevpost.com/2026/09/21/tesla-audits-china-suppliers-optimus-mass-production/","title":"Tesla audits China suppliers for Optimus mass production (The Paper / industry sources)","sourceName":"CnEVPost","publishedAt":"2026-09-21"},{"url":"https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3368053/tesla-auditing-chinese-suppliers-ahead-optimus-roll-out-sources","title":"Tesla auditing Chinese suppliers ahead of Optimus roll-out: sources","sourceName":"South China Morning Post","publishedAt":"2026-09-18"},{"url":"https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-09-23/Exclusive-Musk-envisions-humanoid-robot-boom-praises-China-s-appeal-1QFJCvyYS4g/p.html","title":"Exclusive: Musk envisions humanoid robot boom (CMG / CGTN)","sourceName":"CGTN","publishedAt":"2026-09-23"},{"url":"https://news.cctv.cn/2026/09/23/ARTIuu2ALwNki9IR96msr2Iy260923.shtml","title":"CCTV Finance exclusive interview with Elon Musk","sourceName":"CCTV Finance / CMG","publishedAt":"2026-09-23"},{"url":"https://electrek.co/2026/09/22/tesla-fsd-v14-3-9-false-camera-service-alerts/","title":"Tesla Full Self-Driving bug falsely flags dirty cameras, demands service","sourceName":"Electrek","publishedAt":"2026-09-22"},{"url":"https://www.notateslaapp.com/news/4716/tesla-fsd-v1439-triggers-false-camera-service-alerts","title":"Tesla FSD V14.3.9 Triggers False Camera Service Alerts","sourceName":"Not a Tesla App","publishedAt":"2026-09-21"},{"url":"https://www.notateslaapp.com/news/4725/tesla-app-leaks-new-optimus-gen-3-robot-design","title":"Tesla App Leaks New Optimus Gen 3 Robot Design","sourceName":"Not a Tesla App","publishedAt":"2026-09-23"},{"url":"https://x.com/NotATeslaApp/status/2102816952695816200","title":"Tesla App Leaks New Optimus Gen 3 Robot Design (X)","sourceName":"Not a Tesla App (@NotATeslaApp)","publishedAt":"2026-09-23"},{"url":"https://x.com/Tesla_App_iOS/status/2103112875971621058","title":"Robotaxi app 26.8.2 decompile: Stop Now latch, cloud/LTE door unlock, referral UI, X Money","sourceName":"X (@Tesla_App_iOS)","publishedAt":"2026-09-24"},{"url":"https://x.com/Tesla_App_iOS/status/2103110415714504915","title":"Upcoming X Money payment for Robotaxi rides (app-analysis claim)","sourceName":"X (@Tesla_App_iOS)","publishedAt":"2026-09-24"},{"url":"https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/companies/arid-41914648.html","title":"Tesla hits 15,000 vehicle milestone in Ireland and 'working with authorities' on self-driving approval","sourceName":"Irish Examiner","publishedAt":"2026-09-23"},{"url":"https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2103129062919057715","title":"Tesla working with authorities in Ireland; Czech Republic 7th EU FSD market (quoting Tesla)","sourceName":"X (@SawyerMerritt)","publishedAt":"2026-09-24"},{"url":"https://www.just-auto.com/news/czech-republic-approval-tesla-fsd-system/","title":"Czech Republic grants provisional approval to Tesla's FSD system","sourceName":"just-auto","publishedAt":"2026-09-22"},{"url":"https://www.engadget.com/2264292/tesla-will-soon-roll-out-fsd-supervised-in-the-czech-republic/","title":"Tesla will soon roll out FSD Supervised in the Czech Republic","sourceName":"Engadget","publishedAt":"2026-09-21"},{"url":"https://electrek.co/2026/09/25/tesla-optimus-production-ramp-hands-ai-generalization-problems/","title":"Tesla ramps Optimus to hundreds a week, but the robots can't generalize","sourceName":"Electrek (citing The Information)","publishedAt":"2026-09-25"},{"url":"https://x.com/wallstengine/status/2103480907562996128","title":"wallstengine: Optimus production ~10x / The Information notes","sourceName":"X (@wallstengine)","publishedAt":"2026-09-25"},{"url":"https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2103565050623795441","title":"Sawyer Merritt: Texas DMV Cybercab registrations to date = 88 (+19)","sourceName":"X (@SawyerMerritt)","publishedAt":"2026-09-25"},{"url":"https://x.com/wholemars/status/2103591098908295541","title":"wholemars: 126 Cybercabs registered in Texas (Texas DMV)","sourceName":"X (@wholemars)","publishedAt":"2026-09-25"},{"url":"https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2103585799920861320","title":"Sawyer Merritt: 56 Cybercabs registered today; total 125 (Texas DMV)","sourceName":"X (@SawyerMerritt)","publishedAt":"2026-09-25"},{"url":"https://electrek.co/2026/09/25/eu-delays-tesla-fsd-vote-december-tcmv-agenda/","title":"EU delays Tesla Full Self-Driving vote to December at the earliest","sourceName":"Electrek","publishedAt":"2026-09-25"},{"url":"https://www.reuters.com/business/eu-vote-teslas-supervised-self-driving-system-pushed-back-2026-09-25/","title":"EU vote on Tesla's supervised self-driving system pushed back","sourceName":"Reuters","publishedAt":"2026-09-25"},{"url":"https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2103988260917633391","title":"Sawyer Merritt: Tesla notifying Austin riders Cybercab fleet doubled; TX registrations Mon 58 to Fri 125","sourceName":"X (@SawyerMerritt)","publishedAt":"2026-09-26"},{"url":"https://x.com/WorldlyReviewer/status/2103968569822490804","title":"WorldlyReviewer: Robotaxi app notification that Cybercab fleet has doubled","sourceName":"X (@WorldlyReviewer)","publishedAt":"2026-09-26"},{"url":"https://www.spacex.com/updates/terafab","title":"Breaking Ground on Terafab in Texas (SpaceX Updates)","sourceName":"SpaceX (official)"},{"url":"https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/space/article/terafab-what-to-know-22378844.php","title":"SpaceX, Tesla Terafab chip plant near College Station: What to know","sourceName":"Houston Chronicle"},{"url":"https://x.com/JoeTegtmeyer/status/2104003574879391772","title":"Joe Tegtmeyer aerials: Terafab Grimes County construction progress since Sep 11","sourceName":"X (@JoeTegtmeyer)","publishedAt":"2026-09-26"},{"url":"https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2104012982023811527","title":"Sawyer Merritt: Tesla and SpaceX Terafab construction progressing","sourceName":"X (@SawyerMerritt)","publishedAt":"2026-09-26"},{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/Ddw9mFJAb3p/","title":"Tesla in talks for FSD approval in Ireland as EU delays vote (notateslaapp via Instagram)","sourceName":"Instagram (@notateslaapp)","publishedAt":"2026-09-26"},{"url":"https://www.theinformation.com/articles/teslas-optimus-hits-snags-hands-suppliers-scale-up-begins","title":"Tesla's Optimus Hits Snags in Hands, Suppliers as Scale-Up Begins","sourceName":"The Information","publishedAt":"2026-09-27"},{"url":"https://x.com/theinformation/status/2104232104473014585","title":"The Information: Optimus production ~10x to several hundred/week; hands/suppliers bottleneck","sourceName":"X (@theinformation)","publishedAt":"2026-09-27"},{"url":"https://x.com/rta_dubai/status/2104103531338756241","title":"RTA + DIEZ inaugurate Dubai Mobility Labs at Dubai Silicon Oasis (248 scenarios)","sourceName":"X (@rta_dubai)","publishedAt":"2026-09-27"},{"url":"https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/09/27/dubai-opens-advanced-testing-facility-to-prepare-autonomous-vehicles-for-the-roads/","title":"Dubai unveils advanced testing ground to prepare autonomous vehicles for the roads","sourceName":"The National","publishedAt":"2026-09-27"},{"url":"https://www.wam.ae/en/article/c2ghq6j-rta-diez-launch-dubai-mobility-labs-for-autonomous","title":"RTA, DIEZ launch Dubai Mobility Labs for autonomous transport testing","sourceName":"Emirates News Agency (WAM)","publishedAt":"2026-09-27"},{"url":"https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/09/tesla-workers-balk-at-training-optimus-humanoid-robots-as-replacements/","title":"Tesla workers balk at training Optimus humanoid robots as replacements","sourceName":"Ars Technica","publishedAt":"2026-09-25"},{"url":"https://x.com/Tesla_AI/status/2095767350070890688","title":"Tesla AI: FSD Supervised v14.3.9 active safety (activate on imminent collision)","sourceName":"X (@Tesla_AI)","publishedAt":"2026-09-04"},{"url":"https://electrek.co/2026/09/04/tesla-fsd-active-safety-collision-avoidance/","title":"Tesla Full Self-Driving can now take over manual driving to avoid a collision","sourceName":"Electrek","publishedAt":"2026-09-04"},{"url":"https://x.com/wholemars/status/2104617826611073198","title":"wholemars: Automatic Collision Evasion owner footage / FSD re-engage","sourceName":"X (@wholemars)","publishedAt":"2026-09-28"},{"url":"https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2104940865638535280","title":"Sawyer Merritt: FSD (Supervised) 15B fleet miles claim","sourceName":"X (@SawyerMerritt)","publishedAt":"2026-09-29"},{"url":"https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2104939888621605158","title":"Sawyer Merritt: Croatia FSD Supervised approval (8th EU)","sourceName":"X (@SawyerMerritt)","publishedAt":"2026-09-29"},{"url":"https://x.com/wholemars/status/2104894219957792887","title":"wholemars: Croatia FSD approval; 16 countries total claim","sourceName":"X (@wholemars)","publishedAt":"2026-09-29"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"Company","value":"Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA); founded 2003; CEO Elon Musk"},{"label":"Robotics Division","value":"Tesla Optimus humanoid robot program (announced 2021 AI Day); led by Milan Kovac (VP Engineering)"},{"label":"Optimus Claims","value":"Claimed: 5'8\" height, 125 lbs, 2 mph walking speed, 150 lbs lifting capacity, $20K target price. Verifiable: public demos 2022-2024 showing slow walking, basic object manipulation; no independent verification of production readiness"},{"label":"Autonomy Transfer","value":"FSD (Full Self-Driving) neural network and Dojo supercomputer training intended for robotics transfer; Ashok Elluswamy leads software stack"},{"label":"Patents","value":"3 USPTO robotics patents (humanoid design, linear actuator, tendon-driven hand) under Tesla assignee; broader automotive autonomy patent portfolio"},{"label":"Manufacturing","value":"Optimus manufacturing intended for Tesla Gigafactory Austin; 2024 claims of production line for training data collection"},{"label":"VVC Note","value":"Tesla Optimus claims are heavily marketing-inflated vs verifiable capability; timeline promises (2022 production, 2023 useful tasks) have not materialized; honest-absence on production scale"},{"label":"Optimus production timeline","value":"Slow ramp starting late July/Aug 2026 at Fremont; Gen 3 reveal pushed to mid-2026 (per Musk Jul 1, 2026)"},{"label":"Hero image candidate","value":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Latest_Tesla_Optimus_Humanoid_Robot.jpg (source: Wikimedia Commons, license: CC BY 2.0)"},{"label":"First public Megacharger","value":"Bloomington, CA — 6 stalls at 1.2 MW each (opened July 2026)"},{"label":"Robotaxi charging — Chandler AZ","value":"56 V4 Supercharger stalls on S Roosevelt Ave, Chandler AZ — private, Robotaxi-only (permitted, April 2026)"},{"label":"Robotaxi charging — Mesa AZ","value":"V4 Supercharger site at 5349 E Main St, Mesa AZ — private, Robotaxi-only (permitted, April 2026)"},{"label":"SF robo-charging cancelled","value":"Dropped plans for 150+ vehicle robo-charging site at 825 Sansome St, San Francisco (cancelled Feb 2026, Teamsters pushback)"},{"label":"We, Robot VVC (Oct 2024)","value":"Optimus demo claimed autonomous interaction — verified teleoperated. Bloomberg + Morgan Stanley confirmed human remote control. Tesla issued no correction. Marquee demo-vs-reality gap."},{"label":"Teleoperation timeline","value":"Oct 10: demo → Oct 12: MKBHD questions → Oct 13: Scoble engineer confirms → Oct 14: Bloomberg + Adam Jonas confirm tele-ops"},{"label":"Nevada AVNC Permit","value":"AVNC Permit 002 approved by Nevada Transportation Authority for paid robotaxi service in Las Vegas"},{"label":"Nevada fleet cap","value":"10 vehicles initially (requested 5,000); 5,000 unit cap gives runway if market moves faster"},{"label":"Las Vegas operating area","value":"Las Vegas Strip corridor only, 45 mph max, no Harry Reid Airport pickups"},{"label":"Nevada robotaxi target","value":"~2,500 robotaxis deployed in Nevada by Aug 2027 (company-stated aspiration)"},{"label":"First responder training","value":"Partnered with Texas law enforcement for 5-minute instructional video for autonomous vehicle emergencies"},{"label":"Mission control centers","value":"Two operational (Austin + Bay Area); open to more as fleet expands"},{"label":"Optimus Supply Chain","value":"Sanhua (linear actuators ~19% BOM, $685M order), Tuopu (rotary actuators ~13%), Nidec (precision motors), Moog (electromechanical actuators), Green Harmonic + HDS (harmonic drives). 60-70% Chinese components. NdFeB magnets ~8% BOM, ~100% China-sourced."},{"label":"Optimus BOM Breakdown","value":"Core components 45-50% of cost: actuators ~35% ($7K), harmonic/RV reducers ~10-15% ($2-3K), ball screws ~$500-1K. 14 rotary actuators + linear actuators. 60-70% Chinese components."},{"label":"Optimus Reducer Suppliers","value":"Green Harmonic (688017) — leading harmonic reducer supplier (~25% market share, targeting 60% by 2026 at 30-40% lower prices than Japanese). Fengli Intelligent (301368) — secondary, 500K-unit line Q4 2025. Beite Technology (603009) — ball screws ±5μm for dexterous hands."},{"label":"Optimus Tier 0.5","value":"Top Group (Tuopu) positioned as Tier 0.5 supplier — undertakes assembly of linear/rotary actuators. Sanhua for linear actuator assemblies (~$685M order)."},{"label":"Optimus in Tesla app (reported)","value":"App 4.61.0 decompile reports Optimus as a home Energy site with dedicated Optimus charger IDs (Tesla_App_iOS / Whole Mars, Sep 2026). Not an official Tesla press release.","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/Tesla_App_iOS/status/2101086887020569051"},{"label":"FSD safety AU/NZ (company-claimed)","value":"Tesla Instagram (Sep 2026) claimed FSD cut collisions 40% in Australia and New Zealand; company-stated, not independently verified here"},{"label":"Optimus China supplier audits (reported)","value":"Reported Sep 2026 (CnEVPost citing The Paper; SCMP citing executives): Tesla Optimus team auditing Chinese suppliers including Tuopu Group, Joyson Electronics, and Sanhua Intelligent Controls in Ningbo and the broader Yangtze River Delta. Industry sources say those firms had already received Optimus-related orders of differing sizes and would start production after passing audits. Not Tesla-confirmed; audits in progress, not framed here as completed certification"},{"label":"Musk humanoid scale forecast (CCTV Finance, Sep 2026)","value":"Musk-stated Sep 23 2026 (exclusive CMG / CCTV Finance interview, via CGTN): at least 1 billion humanoid robots within 10 years (or less), potentially ~10 billion in 15 years and ~100 billion in ~20 years if growth roughly doubles yearly. Framed personal robots for elder care, kids, tutoring, and one person managing hundreds to thousands of physical robots and digital agents. Forward-looking CEO prediction, not a Tesla production commitment"},{"label":"FSD v14.3.9 false camera service alerts (reported)","value":"Reported (Electrek Sep 22 2026; Not a Tesla App): FSD Supervised v14.3.9 can falsely show 'Poor camera visibility detected. Interior windshield residue cleaning is required' on clean forward cameras, often in bright sun or glare. Electrek reports Tesla Support confirmed the software fault (owner screenshot) and that Tesla is canceling related service appointments; a fix is expected in a coming software update. Do not treat v14.3.10 as confirmed fixed here (release notes so far match v14.3.9). Framed as company-confirmed via Support as reported by Electrek/NATA, not a Tesla press release"},{"label":"Optimus Gen 3 app UI assets (reported, Sep 2026)","value":"Reported Sep 23 2026 (Not a Tesla App): Android app UI assets show a sleeker Optimus Gen 3 design (covered joints, monolithic torso). Official UI assets per secondary app analysis; unconfirmed as final production design. Not Tesla press"},{"label":"Robotaxi app 26.8.2 decompile (claimed, Sep 2026)","value":"Claimed / app-analysis (@Tesla_App_iOS decompile of Robotaxi iOS app 26.8.2, Sep 24 2026): reported strings/UI for a 'Stop Now' latch at pickup (geofenced abort), cloud/LTE backup if UWB-BLE door unlock fails, referral tracking + confetti payout UI, and phone sliders for cabin display + payment sheet. Secondary app-decompile analysis; NOT a Tesla press statement; features may change or never ship"},{"label":"X Money for Robotaxi rides (claimed, Sep 2026)","value":"Claimed / app-analysis (@Tesla_App_iOS, Sep 24 2026): post that riders will soon be able to pay for Robotaxi rides with X Money, and the same day's 26.8.2 decompile notes list native X Money as a Tesla payment method. Secondary app-analysis / social claim; NOT a Tesla press statement; not confirmed live in production"},{"label":"FSD Supervised Czech Republic 7th EU (claimed, Sep 2026)","value":"Claimed / reported (just-auto Sep 22 2026; Engadget Sep 21 2026; Irish Examiner Sep 23 quoting Tesla): the Czech Republic provisionally recognised the Dutch RDW Article 39 approval for FSD Supervised, becoming the seventh European market to do so (joining the Netherlands and five others cited in coverage). Tesla said rollout will begin soon. Trade/secondary press + Tesla statement via Irish Examiner / Sawyer Merritt X; no Tesla Europe primary URL resolved this pass. Not an EU-wide approval"},{"label":"FSD Supervised Ireland authorities talks (claimed, Sep 2026)","value":"Claimed / reported (Irish Examiner Sep 23 2026 quoting Tesla; Sawyer Merritt X Sep 24): Tesla says it is 'working with authorities' in Ireland to enable regulatory approval for FSD Supervised, and that Ireland is 'anticipating the arrival of this transformative technology on Irish roads in due course.' Not an Irish approval grant. Secondary coverage of a Tesla statement; no Tesla Europe primary URL resolved this pass"},{"label":"Weekly production ramp ~10x (reported Sep 2026)","value":"Reported (Electrek, Sep 25 2026, summarizing The Information): Tesla went from a few dozen Optimus units per week in Q2 2026 small-batch testing to several hundred per week by August, roughly a tenfold rise, on the former Model S/X line in Fremont. Managers are reportedly aiming for a continuous automated line capable of more than 1,000 robots per week by year-end, with an eventual target around 20,000 per week. Most units described as internal for testing, training, and data collection; factory use confined to tightly controlled supervised areas. Cap: secondary press citing The Information (paywalled); not a Tesla primary disclosure. Hand manufacturing (100+ screws/small parts), durability/sensor issues, and supplier quality-at-volume bottlenecks also flagged in the same reporting"},{"label":"Texas DMV Cybercab registrations (reported, Sep 2026)","value":"Reported ([reported](https://x.com/wholemars/status/2103591098908295541); also [Sawyer Merritt](https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2103585799920861320)): as of Sep 25 2026, secondary X accounts citing Texas DMV put Tesla Cybercab registrations in Texas at about 126 (wholemars) / 125 (Sawyer, who also said 56 registered that day, the biggest single day and first time past 100). Cap: secondary X citing DMV; not a Tesla ops disclosure. Registration count is distinct from concurrent active passenger-carrying fleet (see existing Austin active fleet ~8 reported spotting fact). Earlier same-day Sawyer figure of 88 is superseded by these later same-day counts"},{"label":"EU TCMV FSD Supervised vote earliest December (reported, Sep 2026)","value":"Reported ([reported](https://electrek.co/2026/09/25/eu-delays-tesla-fsd-vote-december-tcmv-agenda/)): the draft agenda for the Oct 6 2026 EU Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV) meeting lists only a ~25-minute continuation of discussions on the Dutch Article 39 request for Tesla FSD Supervised (no vote scheduled). The next TCMV meeting is December, so that is the earliest apparent EU-wide vote window. Matching Reuters (Marie Mannes, Sep 25): https://www.reuters.com/business/eu-vote-teslas-supervised-self-driving-system-pushed-back-2026-09-25/. Cap: Electrek + Reuters secondary reporting of the published TCMV draft agenda; European Commission comitology-register primary URL not locked this pass. Not an EU approval decision"},{"label":"Austin fleet-doubled rider notice (reported, Sep 26 2026)","value":"Reported ([reported](https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2103988260917633391); rider screenshot [WorldlyReviewer](https://x.com/WorldlyReviewer/status/2103968569822490804)): Tesla Robotaxi app notified Austin riders that the Cybercab robotaxi fleet has doubled. Sawyer Merritt ties the notice to Texas registration data from the same week showing registered Cybercabs moving from 58 on Monday to 125 on Friday (~115% up). Cap: secondary X + rider app screenshot; not a Tesla ops disclosure or Texas DMV primary URL. Registration count is distinct from concurrent active passenger-carrying fleet (see existing Austin active fleet ~8 reported spotting fact and the Sep 25 DMV ~125/126 snapshot fact)"},{"label":"Terafab Grimes County chip fab (company-stated)","value":"Company-stated by SpaceX ([company-stated](https://www.spacex.com/updates/terafab); also [Houston Chronicle](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/space/article/terafab-what-to-know-22378844.php)): SpaceX and Tesla are building Terafab, an advanced semiconductor fab in Grimes County, Texas, combining logic, memory, and advanced packaging. Planned manufacturing space more than 100 million square feet; initial phase capital about $16.8 billion; stated workforce at least 3,000. Intended chips include edge/inference silicon for Optimus and Cybercab plus high-power chips for SpaceX space-based data centers. Tesla also broke ground on a research fab precursor at Giga Texas North Campus. Cap: SpaceX Updates page + local press; production capacity and timelines not independently verified here"},{"label":"Terafab construction progress (reported, late Sep 2026)","value":"Reported ([reported](https://x.com/JoeTegtmeyer/status/2104003574879391772); also [Sawyer Merritt](https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2104012982023811527)): aerial photographer Joe Tegtmeyer posted Sep 26 2026 images of the Terafab site in Grimes County, Texas, describing major progress since a Sep 11 flight, including concrete footings mostly poured on a large cleared rectangle, rebar faces set awaiting concrete, widened tree clearing north of that foundation segment, a much larger cleared area on the south side, and relocated Starlink ground-station antenna globes. Cap: independent aerial photography / secondary X; not a Tesla or SpaceX construction bulletin and not a capacity or schedule claim"},{"label":"Dubai Mobility Labs trials (reported, Sep 2026)","value":"Reported ([reported](https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/09/27/dubai-opens-advanced-testing-facility-to-prepare-autonomous-vehicles-for-the-roads/); also [RTA Dubai](https://x.com/rta_dubai/status/2104103531338756241); [WAM](https://www.wam.ae/en/article/c2ghq6j-rta-diez-launch-dubai-mobility-labs-for-autonomous)): on Sep 27 2026 Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) inaugurated Dubai Mobility Labs at Dubai Silicon Oasis for autonomous and future-mobility testing (248 scenarios across controlled environments and public roads toward Al Qudra). The National and WAM say the facility has already hosted trials involving WeRide, Pony.ai, and Tesla. DEKRA appointed to operate the labs for the first three years. Framed under Dubai Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy aiming to convert 25% of mobility journeys in the emirate to autonomous trips by 2030. Cap: official RTA post + UAE press; not a Tesla primary disclosure of commercial Dubai robotaxi service"},{"label":"Optimus mocap training pushback (reported, Sep 2026)","value":"Reported ([reported](https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/09/tesla-workers-balk-at-training-optimus-humanoid-robots-as-replacements/), summarizing The Information): some Tesla factory staff balked at mocap-suit data collection for Optimus; company reportedly moved collection to dedicated teams and training hubs. Cap: Ars Technica of The Information; see tesla-optimus model page for production-ramp context"},{"label":"Automatic Collision Evasion / FSD active safety (company-stated, Sep 2026)","value":"Company-stated ([company-stated](https://x.com/Tesla_AI/status/2095767350070890688); also [Electrek](https://electrek.co/2026/09/04/tesla-fsd-active-safety-collision-avoidance/)): Tesla AI said FSD Supervised v14.3.9 includes a new active safety feature set so FSD Supervised can activate on the driver's behalf when an imminent collision is detected and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) may not be enough, and may also engage if the system detects the driver is heavily distracted or has accidentally disengaged FSD. Press and owner coverage often label this Automatic Collision Evasion. Midday digest linked wholemars owner footage ([secondary](https://x.com/wholemars/status/2104617826611073198)) showing FSD re-engaging during manual driving. Cap: Tesla AI X primary for the feature; Electrek for rollout coverage; wholemars is secondary owner demo, not Tesla press"},{"label":"FSD Supervised 15B fleet miles (Sawyer-reported/claimed, Sep 2026)","value":"Sawyer-reported / claimed ([claimed](https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2104940865638535280)): @SawyerMerritt stated Tesla FSD (Supervised) has reached 15 billion fleet miles. No Tesla primary (IR, Tesla AI X, or owner-manual changelog) verified in this ingest. Frame as influencer-reported claim, not company press. Cap: single X secondary; treat as claimed until Tesla restates"},{"label":"FSD Supervised Croatia 8th EU (claimed, Sep 2026)","value":"Claimed ([claimed](https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2104939888621605158); also [wholemars](https://x.com/wholemars/status/2104894219957792887)): Sawyer Merritt and wholemars say Croatia approved / recognised FSD Supervised, described as the 8th EU market; wholemars separately frames 16 countries total with FSD Supervised. Same class as prior Czechia/Ireland Sep 2026 claimed keyFacts (trade/X secondary; not authority-verified). Cap: no Croatian ministry / RDW mutual-recognition primary fetched here; not written into JurisdictionApproval ledger"}],"aliases":["Tesla Inc","Tesla Motors","Tesla Optimus","Tesla FSD","Tesla Cybercab","Tesla Robotaxi"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":null,"atsSlug":null,"factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"tickerSymbol":"TSLA","stockExchange":"NASDAQ","secCik":null,"revenueUsd":null,"revenueBasis":null,"revenueAsOf":null,"employeeCount":134785,"employeeCountBasis":null,"employeeCountAsOf":null,"marketCapUsd":null,"marketCapAsOf":null,"marketCapSource":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-25T17:24:17.509Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-29T21:25:55.374Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"79ed522f-645d-4233-9c1a-d619a4f46a04","incidentId":"a584553a-e549-4144-a5a0-99b1a11448d1","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tesla-fsd-sleep-wheel-full-self-driving-mode-nap-safe-detect-rcna590941","label":null,"publishedAt":"2026-08-25T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":"Asleep at the wheel: More Tesla owners are choosing to nap while their cars drive","sourceName":"NBC News","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-09-29T18:42:05.003Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-29T18:42:05.003Z"},{"id":"9ec63bcc-f38f-4bb6-9278-ff9f1dfec685","incidentId":"a584553a-e549-4144-a5a0-99b1a11448d1","url":"https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/krishnamoorthi-demands-nhtsa-action-after-tesla-drivers-caught-sleeping-behind","label":"Office of Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi","publishedAt":"2026-09-09T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":null,"sourceName":"Office of Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-09-11T22:41:27.298Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-11T22:41:27.298Z"},{"id":"5af23a83-69d8-4ab1-a170-70fba517f92a","incidentId":"a584553a-e549-4144-a5a0-99b1a11448d1","url":"https://www.reuters.com/world/us/house-democrat-urges-us-action-over-sleeping-tesla-drivers-2026-09-10/","label":null,"publishedAt":"2026-09-10T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":"House Democrat urges US action over sleeping Tesla drivers","sourceName":"Reuters","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-09-29T18:42:06.300Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-29T18:42:06.300Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[{"id":"019c0246-fb31-42bd-9dfb-b3d72014ee46","incidentId":"a584553a-e549-4144-a5a0-99b1a11448d1","status":"active","reason":null,"source":"agent:recon","effectiveAt":"2026-09-11T22:41:28.566Z","createdAt":"2026-09-11T22:41:28.566Z"}],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/tesla-krishnamoorthi-fsd-sleeping-drivers-letter-2026-09","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/tesla-krishnamoorthi-fsd-sleeping-drivers-letter-2026-09","headline":"Rep. Krishnamoorthi presses NHTSA/DOT on Tesla FSD driver-monitoring after sleeping-driver videos and a nine-incident reduced-visibility probe","description":"On September 9, 2026, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy citing an NBC News investigation that identified 43 videos appearing to show individuals asleep in the driver's seat of moving Teslas with a driver-assistance system engaged, including 17 posted in 2026. The letter also references an NHTSA probe that identified nine incidents tied to reduced-visibility conditions, including one fatality and one injury, part of the FSD investigation NHTSA upgraded from a preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis in March 2026. Krishnamoorthi asked whether NHTSA has evaluated the driver-monitoring system's effectiveness when the cabin camera is obstructed and what findings would constitute a safety defect, requesting a written response by September 30, 2026.","identifier":"a584553a-e549-4144-a5a0-99b1a11448d1","datePublished":"2026-09-09T00:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"regulatory action","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":3,"primary_source_types":["secondary-established-publication"]}}}