Tesla discloses two Robotaxi crashes

Tesla told U.S. safety regulators in newly public filings that two low-speed crashes in its Austin Robotaxi testing program happened while the vehicles were under teleoperator control. The disclosures were posted in records available through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s crash-reporting system on May 16, after Tesla had previously withheld much of the narrative detail. The filings describe 17 incidents from Tesla’s Austin Robotaxi testing effort, giving the clearest public account yet of what the company reported to regulators during that phase of the program. No passengers were in the two crash vehicles, according to the records, and both incidents involved in-vehicle safety monitors. ### Which two crashes did Tesla disclose in Austin? Tesla’s newly unredacted reports show one Robotaxi struck a metal fence and another hit a construction barricade in Austin while a teleoperator was remotely driving, according to accounts first reported from the filings on May 15 and May 16. Both incidents were low-speed crashes, and neither involved riders in the vehicle at the time. (teslarati.com) TechCrunch reported that the two crashes occurred after July 2025 and that a safety monitor was seated behind the wheel in each vehicle. Wired reported the same filings showed remote operators, not the automated system alone, were controlling the vehicles in those two events. ### What do the 17 incident records add beyond those two crashes? The 17 reports provide the first fuller public descriptions of incidents from Tesla’s Austin Robotaxi testing program because NHTSA’s database now includes information that had previously been redacted from Tesla’s submissions. (techcrunch.com) The records do not show a passenger injury in the two teleoperator-controlled crashes highlighted in the disclosures. NHTSA’s Standing General Order requires manufacturers and operators to report certain crashes involving automated driving systems. The agency says the order was amended in 2025 and that publicly available incident data include information provided since June 16, 2025, under that version of the rule. ### What has NHTSA already asked Tesla about teleoperators and in-vehicle staff? (electrek.co) NHTSA asked Tesla in a July 1, 2025 follow-up letter whether remote personnel oversee vehicles in real time, what control authority remote operators have, and whether they can remotely drive the vehicles. The agency also asked about the responsibilities and intervention authority of in-vehicle operators and whether those operators would remain in vehicles when the service became available to the general public. (nhtsa.gov) A separate NHTSA information request dated May 8, 2025 said the agency wanted more detail on Tesla’s robotaxi development because Tesla had described plans to operate a fleet of Model Y vehicles in Austin on public roads in June 2025 and potentially offer paid rides while operating “fully autonomously.” ### How does Tesla describe the service now? Tesla’s Robotaxi website says autonomous rides are currently being offered in Austin, Dallas and Houston, starting with Model Y vehicles. (static.nhtsa.gov) The support page says users can request a ride through the Robotaxi app and receive an estimated fare and wait time before confirming the trip. Tesla’s public materials do not, in those pages, describe the specific role of teleoperators in routine service. (static.nhtsa.gov) Tesla job postings in Austin have separately described “AI Safety Operator” and Robotaxi vehicle-operator roles tied to real-world ride-sharing scenarios and testing. ### Where will the next disclosures show up? NHTSA’s crash-reporting portal remains the main place where additional incident records can appear, because the agency says the Standing General Order is designed to provide timely public notification of crashes involving automated driving systems. (tesla.com) Tesla’s exchanges with NHTSA in the agency’s ongoing robotaxi review are another source of future detail, including questions about fleet size, geofencing, maximum speed and remote-driving authority. (tesla.com) Tesla’s Robotaxi support and service pages are also changing as the rollout expands. As of May 17, 2026, Tesla says rides are available in three Texas cities, while NHTSA’s information requests and crash database continue to document how the company describes the system to regulators. (tesla.com) (nhtsa.gov)