NTSB says accelerator input led to fatal Tesla crash in Texas

Federal safety investigators said a driver’s accelerator input sent a Tesla Model 3 into a Texas home last month, killing a 76-year-old woman inside. The finding is significant because the driver had told police Tesla’s driver-assistance software was engaged, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

In a report released Wednesday, the NTSB said the driver pressed the accelerator to full power, which canceled the automated feature. Moments later, the car sped through a residential area in Katy, Texas, struck a curb, crossed a lawn and crashed through a brick wall, the agency said.

The victim, Martha Avila, was standing in the front room of the house, according to the NTSB account. She was found amid damaged plaster, broken beams and furniture debris, taken to a hospital and later died.

Video of the crash showed the Tesla moving at more than 70 mph before it entered the home, according to investigators. The NTSB’s account points to human control of the vehicle in the final moments rather than a failure by Tesla’s automation system.

Crash drew scrutiny as Tesla promotes automation

The case drew national attention as Tesla CEO Elon Musk seeks broader acceptance of the company’s automated driving technology. Musk has said Tesla is preparing to convert many vehicles already on the road into fully automatic cars and begin selling two-seat Cybercabs without steering wheels or pedals.

Tesla previously marketed its driver-assistance package as Full Self-Driving, or FSD. After criticism from auto experts and regulators who said the name overstated the system’s capabilities, the company changed the name to Full Self-Driving (Supervised).

Regulators and safety experts have said Tesla drivers must keep watching the road and be ready to take control while using the system. The NTSB report said the driver in the Katy crash overrode the feature by pressing hard on the accelerator.

Separate federal inquiries continue

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also reviewing the Texas house crash, according to agency records. NHTSA lists it among 46 special crash investigations over the past decade involving Tesla self-driving or driver-assistance technology.

Agency records show that more than a dozen of those Tesla-related crashes involved at least one death, including a driver, passenger or pedestrian. NHTSA has also been examining broader concerns about Tesla’s automated systems.

Two months before the Katy crash, NHTSA elevated a 2024 investigation of Tesla’s self-driving feature to an engineering analysis, a step that can precede a recall. That review covers 3.2 million Tesla vehicles, according to the agency.

NHTSA said that inquiry followed crashes in which Tesla’s self-driving feature failed to prompt drivers to take control in fog and other low-visibility conditions. The agency also opened an investigation last year into 58 reported incidents in which Teslas using self-driving technology allegedly violated traffic safety laws, resulting in more than a dozen crashes and fires and nearly two dozen injuries.

Business pressure around Tesla

Tesla’s vehicle sales have not fully recovered from boycotts tied to Musk’s far-right political positions, according to the reporting cited in the company’s recent market coverage. Even so, Tesla shares have risen as Musk has emphasized future products such as hands-free vehicles and Optimus robots.

Tesla stock has climbed 22% over the past year and trades at 170 times expected annual earnings, compared with 20 times for the S&P 500. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect Tesla’s second-quarter earnings per share, due next week, to be 32 cents, compared with 33 cents a year earlier, continuing a six-quarter run of flat or declining profits.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.