Tesla, one of several businesses owned by now-trillionaire Elon Musk, has been implicated in another deadly crash involving the vehicles’ autopilot driving mode.
On June 19, a driver in a Tesla Model 3 crashed into a Texas home, killing a 76-year-old female resident. According to Harris County Sheriff’s authorities, the driver was using “an automated driving assistance system” that failed to remain in its lane and instead veered into the residence at a deadly speed. The driver did not show signs of drug or alcohol impairment, according to reports.
It’s not yet confirmed if the driver had attempted to break or disengage the autopilot mode before the crash.
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Tesla has faced several legal fights over its fleet of self-driving vehicles and robotaxis, including a 2025 decision that found the company partially responsible for a fatal autopilot-related crash in Florida. Despite regulator pushback, the company has fought to retain the right to refer to its systems, including Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Capability (FSD), as an “autopilot” mode.
Days before the Texas accident, European traffic safety authorities accused Tesla of exaggerating the safety record of FSD vehicles in documents presented to regulators in Switzerland and the Netherlands. The document suggested that FSD fleets could have “saved 32,000 lives and prevented 1.9 million injuries” in the U.S., Reuters reported, but independent researchers told the publication that the claims are misleading.
While autonomous vehicle fleets are rapidly expanding across the U.S., many riders are still skeptical about their safety. On June 18, robotaxi giant Waymo announced it was recalling 3,900 vehicles after several incidents in Arizona and California showed the cars’ self-driving software failed to recognize ramp closures and construction zones.
