--- title: "Elon Musk Is Flagrantly Gutting an Agency in Charge of Regulating Tesla" description: "Elon Musk's DOGE is gutting the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has a long history of investigating Tesla." date: "2025-02-21" modified: "2025-02-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-doge-gutting-nhtsa-tesla" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "doge" - "elon musk" - "full self-driving" - "NHTSA" - "tesla" --- # Elon Musk Is Flagrantly Gutting an Agency in Charge of Regulating Tesla ![Elon Musk's DOGE is gutting the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has a long history of investigating Tesla.]() *\Image: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images\* Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency is gutting the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has a long history of investigating the unelected White House advisor's EV maker Tesla. As the [*Washington Post* reports](), between 70 and 80 people — or roughly ten percent of the small agency's headcount — will be cut. As its name suggests, it's tasked with ensuring drivers and passengers are safe on American roads. The even smaller team that oversees autonomous vehicle regulations will be roughly cut in half. The NHTSA had previously investigated Tesla over its [infamous driver-assistance software](). While Tesla has [reported more than 1,500 crash reports]() to safety regulators as of last year, the Trump transition team [announced in December]() that it would drop the reporting requirement — early indicators that the president and Musk would be coming after the agency. DOGE's gutting of the NHTSA is [yet another example]() of Musk cutting down the regulators who have gone after one of his companies, highlighting his considerable sway in the White House and his unabashed willingness to use that influence to benefit his business interests. For years now, Tesla had its customers test its flawed driver-assistance feature misleadingly called "Full Self-Driving" on public roads. It remains to be seen how a gutted NHTSA will affect Tesla's future rollouts of software updates. For one, Musk has promised to [deliver an "unsupervised" version]() of FSD before the end of the year, which could result in even more [close calls]() and [collisions](). Even before DOGE stormed through the federal government, the NHTSA has been [criticized]() for its lax rules surrounding software like FSD. The NHTSA also oversees vehicle recalls, many of which affected Tesla vehicles. The Cybertruck alone was [recalled seven times]() in 2024. In short, it was only a matter of time until Musk and DOGE went after the regulator. "NHTSA has been a thorn in Musk’s side for over the last decade and he’s grappled with almost every three-letter agency in the Beltway," Wall Street automotive analyst Daniel Ives [told the *Associated Press* last week](). "That’s all created what looks to be a really big soap opera in 2025." It's not just Tesla that Musk is trying to clear the path for. Earlier this week, news emerged that DOGE would also be [gutting the FAA]() to [the benefit of his space company SpaceX.]() His team of underqualified younglings also [slashed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau](), which had the task of regulating his social network X-formerly-Twitter as it moves into the world of financial services. Even his brain-computer interface company Neuralink will have fewer pesky rules to contend with now that DOGE has gone after Food and Drug Administration workers who [were reviewing the company](). In short, to call it a conflict of interest would be an understatement. His own businesses are already directly benefiting from his "[hostile takeover]()" of the US government, meaning that the richest man in the world isn't just above the law; he's the one determining the rules. **More on the NHTSA:** *[Terrifying Footage Shows Cybertruck on Self-Driving Mode Swerve Into Oncoming Traffic]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()