Tesla reveals two Robotaxi crashes involving teleoperators

Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, has crashed at least twice since July 2025 while under remote teleoperator control, according to newly unredacted filings submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Both incidents occurred at low speeds, with no passengers onboard, and involved a safety monitor present in each vehicle. In July 2025, a teleoperator took control after Tesla’s automated driving system (ADS) failed to move forward while stopped. The operator increased speed and turned left, driving up a curb and striking a metal fence. A similar crash in January 2026 saw the teleoperator guide the vehicle straight into a construction barricade at 9 mph, damaging the front-left fender and tire. Tesla previously redacted crash details, claiming confidentiality, but recently released unredacted reports for all 17 crashes since 2025. Most involved Robotaxis being hit rather than causing collisions, though two cases saw Tesla vehicles clip mirrors on other cars. One incident in September 2025 involved a failed attempt to avoid a dog, while another saw a Robotaxi make an unprotected left turn into a parking lot and collide with a metal chain. The disclosures follow NHTSA closing an investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software crashing into parking lot barriers, a recurring issue also addressed by Waymo with a 2025 recall. Despite operating at a smaller scale than competitors like Waymo and Zoox, Tesla’s slow expansion of Robotaxi has been attributed to safety concerns, with Elon Musk acknowledging in May 2026 that ensuring complete safety remains the biggest hurdle.