- Tesla reported five new crash incidents involving its Model Y robotaxi fleet in Austin from December 2025 to January 2026, according to regulatory data.
- The company recently removed human safety monitors from its robotaxis, accelerating CEO Elon Musk‘s goal for widespread autonomous deployment.
- All new incidents were low-speed collisions or backing crashes, with one prior incident updated to include a hospitalization injury.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has an active probe into approximately 2.9 million Tesla vehicles over traffic law concerns related to its self-driving software.
Tesla Inc. has disclosed five new crash incidents with its self-driving robotaxi fleet in recent months, sparking fresh scrutiny of its autonomous vehicle technology. According to data from U.S. auto safety regulator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these accidents involved Model Y robotaxis in Austin from December 2025 to January 2026.
Electrek reported the crashes on Tuesday, highlighting a collision with a stationary bus and four incidents involving fixed objects or heavy trucks. Consequently, the total number of reported robotaxi incidents since the service’s 2025 launch in Austin now stands at 14.
The reported accidents, all under 20 mph, included the vehicle backing into a pole at 1 mph and another striking a fixed object at 17 mph. Meanwhile, Tesla updated one previous crash report to include a hospitalization injury, adding severity to the safety record.
This news arrives as Tesla aggressively expands its driverless service, having launched robotaxis without human safety monitors in January. However, CEO Elon Musk stated the company remains “cautious while scaling the service” during a recent earnings call.
Musk confirmed the operation of roughly 500 Model Y robotaxis across Austin and the Bay Area. Consequently, the safety performance of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system remains under intense regulatory review.
The NHTSA’s ongoing probe investigates potential traffic law violations by FSD in nearly 2.9 million vehicles. The regulator identified specific incidents where FSD-equipped vehicles allegedly ran red lights, among other violations.
Retail investor sentiment on Tesla stock shifted to “bullish” on platforms like Stocktwits. Shares of the company traded 1% lower at the time of the report’s publication.
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