Why Tesla stock is in the red today

Tesla shares traded lower on Thursday as investors weighed a regulatory probe into the automaker’s crash reporting practices and mixed views from Wall Street analysts on its robotaxi rollout.

The stock slipped more than 1% during the session, hitting an intraday low of $319.

The Tesla stock has had a rough 2025 till now. On a year-to-date basis, the TSLA stock has slumped around 20%.

The decline came as US auto safety authorities disclosed an inquiry into the company’s compliance with federal crash-reporting requirements.

NHTSA audit into reporting delays

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it has identified multiple cases where Tesla submitted crash incident reports several months after the accidents occurred.

Under existing orders, manufacturers are generally required to submit such data within one or five days of learning of a crash, the agency noted in a filing published on its website.

According to NHTSA, Tesla attributed the delays to a data collection issue, which the company said has now been resolved.

The regulator’s Office of Defects Investigation has opened an audit query to review the cause of the reporting gaps and evaluate Tesla’s measures to prevent future lapses.

"As part of this review, NHTSA will assess whether any reports of prior incidents remain outstanding and whether the reports that were submitted include all of the required and available data," the authority said in a filing.

Analyst views on Robotaxi prospects

On the analyst front, Goldman Sachs reiterated its neutral rating on Tesla, pointing to uncertainties around the pace of its robotaxi deployment.

The bank said it views the start of robotaxi operations as a positive step, positioning Tesla toward capturing what it estimates to be a $7 billion US market by 2030, but maintained a cautious stance.

Earlier this week, Barclays analyst Dan Levy reaffirmed an equal weight rating on Tesla stock with a price target of $275.

Barclays noted that the process for full autonomous robotaxi operations in California could be lengthy, given the number of permits Tesla must secure before offering driverless commercial services.

The bank added that Tesla’s current engagement with regulators appears more limited than market expectations, suggesting its robotaxi rollout may be narrower in scope than commonly perceived.

The combination of heightened regulatory oversight and tempered analyst expectations has added pressure to Tesla’s shares this week.

While the company continues to push ahead with ambitious plans in autonomous driving, questions remain over the regulatory hurdles and compliance standards it must meet before scaling its services.