The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has laid off 4% of its workforce as part of a broader government effort to reduce probationary employees, reported Reuters citing a spokesperson.
The job cuts come as the agency continues its oversight of multiple auto safety investigations, including those involving Tesla.
NHTSA has expanded by 30% under President Joe Biden’s administration and remains significantly larger even after the recent layoffs.
The US auto safety agency was quoted by the news agency as saying: “We have retained positions critical to the mission of saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing economic costs due to road traffic crashes.”
It “will continue to enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment,” the agency noted.
Before the job cuts, the agency employed approximately 800 staff members.
The workforce reduction comes at a time when NHTSA is conducting several investigations into Tesla, led by CEO Elon Musk.
The agency launched a probe in October 2023 into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with full self-driving software following reports of four collisions, including a fatal crash.
In January 2025, NHTSA opened a separate investigation into 2.6 million Tesla vehicles concerning the ‘Actually Smart Summon’ feature, which allows users to remotely drive their vehicles using a smartphone application.
The probe aims to assess the feature’s maximum speed, its use on public roads, line-of-sight requirements, and overall performance.
NHTSA is also evaluating the effectiveness of a recall issued by Tesla in December 2023, which covered over two million vehicles in the US to install additional safeguards in the Autopilot driver-assistance system.
The agency continues to review whether the recall sufficiently addresses concerns over driver inattentiveness while using the system.
Additionally, earlier this month, Trump nominated Apple lawyer Jonathan Morrison to lead NHTSA.
Morrison previously served as the agency’s chief counsel during the first Trump administration.
