Tesla’s Austin Robotaxi Program Reaches 14 Crashes After New NHTSA Reports

Overview

• Tesla filed five new Austin incidents with NHTSA in January covering December and January, each involving a Model Y with the autonomous system verified as engaged.
• The newly reported events include a straight‑line impact with a fixed object at 17 mph, a stationary collision involving a bus, a 4 mph contact with a heavy truck, and two low‑speed backing crashes into fixed objects.
• Tesla revised a July 2025 crash from property damage only to minor with hospitalization, indicating someone required hospital treatment after the incident.
• Electrek’s analysis of Tesla disclosures estimates roughly 800,000 fleet miles by mid‑January, equating to about one crash every 57,000 miles, compared with Tesla’s cited human minor‑collision average of 229,000 miles and a broader U.S. average near 500,000 miles.
• All Tesla SGO crash narratives are redacted as confidential business information, a level of opacity contrasted with fuller descriptions from operators such as Waymo and Zoox, as the company begins offering some Austin rides without an in‑car safety monitor.