The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an urgent probe into a deadly crash involving a Tesla vehicle near Houston, Texas. A 76-year-old woman was killed when her neighbour's Tesla Model 3, reportedly using its advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS), careered out of control and smashed through the front door of their home at high speed.
The driver claimed that the car's automated technology had been engaged at the time of the incident last Friday. This development is significant, given Tesla's ambitious plans for widespread adoption of autonomous driving features, including robotaxi services in US cities. However, it remains unclear whether the ADAS played a role in causing the collision.
While refusing to comment on the investigation, Ashok Elluswamy, head of Tesla's artificial intelligence efforts, took to social media platform X to defend the company's technology. He alleged that the driver had overridden the self-driving system by pressing the accelerator pedal to maximum speed in a residential area - reaching 73mph before impact. The police report confirmed that the driver was sober and fully cooperating with authorities, who have identified the deceased as Martha Avila.
Disturbing footage obtained by local news outlet KHOU shows the Tesla speeding across a lawn before crashing into the front room of a brick house in Katy. Subsequent images reveal the car embedded in the structure, surrounded by debris. This incident adds to the NHTSA's growing list of probes into Tesla vehicles, including 58 reports of self-driving technology-related accidents that led to multiple crashes, fires, and injuries. Over the past decade, there have been 46 special crash investigations involving Teslas using ADAS or driver-assistance systems - with more than a dozen resulting in fatalities.
As Tesla shifts its focus from car sales to AI-powered development, this investigation's outcome may impact global perceptions of automated driving technologies and their regulation. The company's stock value has risen 16% over the past year despite earlier challenges, including a decline in 2025.