The top US auto regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has opened a special investigation into a Tesla crash near Houston, Texas, that killed a 76-year-old woman standing inside a home. The incident occurred on Friday when a Tesla Model 3, reportedly using an automated driving feature, crashed through the front of a residence in Katy at high speed.
Details of the Crash
According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the driver told deputies he was using the technology at the time of the crash. The woman killed has been identified as Martha Avila. The driver was not under the influence of alcohol and has been cooperating with authorities. The Tesla crashed into a front room of the brick home, causing extensive damage, as shown in video obtained by local news outlet KHOU.
Regulatory and Company Response
The NHTSA stated it is opening a special investigation into the crash, which is significant because the vehicle was using technology that Tesla CEO Elon Musk considers key to the company's future. Musk is rolling out robotaxis using automated software in several US cities this year and plans to allow Tesla owners to add their cars to a fleet using the same system nationwide.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. However, Ashok Elluswamy, head of Tesla's artificial intelligence efforts, suggested on social media that the self-driving feature was not to blame. He wrote on X: "In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area. They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash."
Broader Context and Past Investigations
The NHTSA has launched several investigations into Tesla, including one late last year into 58 incidents where Teslas reportedly violated traffic safety laws while using self-driving technology, leading to more than a dozen crashes and fires and nearly two dozen injuries. A few months earlier, the agency opened an investigation into why Tesla apparently had not been reporting crashes promptly as required.
Over the past decade, the NHTSA has opened 46 special crash investigations involving Teslas using self-driving or driver-assistance technology. In more than a dozen of those crashes, at least one person was killed.
Market and Political Impact
Tesla stock fell sharply early in 2025 as car sales plunged amid a boycott of Musk after he became involved in US federal politics, leading Donald Trump's budget-cutting "department of government efficiency" (Doge) initiative and embracing European extremist candidates. However, Musk has since shifted the Tesla narrative to focus more on AI and robotaxis, and the stock is up 16% in the past year.
