Tesla Cybercab Wouldn't Stop' During Jeremy Clarkson's Worrying Ride

Jeremy Clarkson has described a troubling ride in a Tesla Cybercab in Texas. He claimed the driverless vehicle ran red lights, braked for obstacles he could not see, and refused to stop after reaching his destination. The former Top Gear host, who was testing Tesla's robotaxi service for his Sunday Times column, said he had no steering wheel or pedals to intervene.

Clarkson booked two robotaxi rides, and both went wrong in different ways. The first car never moved, while the second one reportedly ran red lights, braked for obstacles that were not there, and kept driving once it reached his destination.

What Happened

Clarkson's first Cybercab stopped around the corner from his pickup point and sat there while its onboard assistant insisted it was already moving. A Tesla representative reportedly told him to cancel the ride and request a replacement vehicle.

READ | Next-Gen Honda CR-V To Go Hybrid-Only; Petrol Engine Dropped

The second car is where things got strange. It drove normally at first. Then it reportedly ran red lights and slammed the brakes for obstacles Clarkson says were not on the road. He sat with no steering wheel or pedals to intervene.

What Clarkson Said

Clarkson wrote that he was genuinely worried for about 10 minutes during the ride, unable to do anything but watch. He also described a tense moment where the Cybercab struggled to respond to an autonomous shopping cart crossing its path.

READ | Unmarked Speed Breaker Launches Scooter Into Air; Here's How The Accident Could Be Avoided

"I liked Musk's bravado and thought the Cybercab looked the part, but I'd give it a miss if it ever showed up in London," Clarkson wrote, once the ride finally ended.

What Happened After Ride

The part of Clarkson's account that stands out most is what happened once the Cybercab reached its destination. It didn't stop. It reportedly kept going, telling him it was searching for a safe place to pull over. It then passed several spots Clarkson considered perfectly fine to stop.

READ | Denza Z9 GT Launched In India At 1.56 Crore With 1139 HP Power, 670 Km Range

It's not the first reported stumble for Tesla's robotaxi service. The Austin robotaxi fleet has already drawn scrutiny following a bollard crash, and regulators have opened a federal safety probe into the vehicle's behavior.

What It Means For Tesla

Tesla's robotaxi service uses both Model Y vehicles and Cybercabs. It has been operating in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa for months, with Fort Worth and San Antonio joining in early November as the company extends unsupervised and near round-the-clock service city by city.

READ | Pope Leo XIV's Ride For South America Visit Is A White Toyota Hilux: Watch

Independent trackers that scrape Texas registry data estimate that in mid-November there were about 1,300 Tesla Robotaxi LLC vehicles registered in the state. Cybercab and Model Y counts are inferred from VIN patterns rather than official model totals.