Tesla says accelerator input preceded fatal Texas Model 3 crash
Tesla’s AI chief said the driver overrode self-driving before a Model 3 hit a Katy home, killing a 76-year-old woman inside.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Tesla is disputing claims that its Full Self-Driving system caused a fatal crash in Texas after a Model 3 drove into a house in a residential neighborhood. The crash has drawn federal attention as regulators continue to examine Tesla’s driver-assistance technology.
Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s head of AI, said in a post on X that the driver “manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%.” He said the car reached 73 mph during the crash and that the accelerator remained pressed after impact.
The crash happened Friday in Katy, Texas, according to reports cited by The Verge. The Model 3 hit a home and killed a 76-year-old woman who was inside.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News that the driver was operating the vehicle “with an automated driving assistance system.” ABC News identified the driver as Michael Butler.
Tesla’s statement from Elluswamy directly challenges the idea that the vehicle’s automated system was responsible for the crash. The company’s Full Self-Driving software, despite its name, is a driver-assistance product and has been the subject of continuing scrutiny from safety regulators.
Federal scrutiny of Tesla software
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla’s self-driving technology, Reuters reported in March. That probe is examining whether the system gives drivers adequate warnings when poor conditions prevent the vehicle from properly reading the road.
NHTSA has also opened an investigation into the Katy crash, The Washington Post reported. The agency’s review adds the fatal incident to a broader set of questions about how Tesla’s software behaves and how drivers interact with it.
The Verge reported that Tesla ended its Autopilot driver-assist feature in January and shifted to its subscription-based Full Self-Driving system. Tesla has marketed the software as a step toward automated driving, while regulators and safety advocates have focused on whether drivers understand its limits.
Tesla no longer maintains a traditional public relations department, a move the company made years ago. In the absence of a formal company statement, Elluswamy used X to criticize coverage of the crash and of Full Self-Driving, saying it creates “FUD,” shorthand for fear, uncertainty and doubt, among the public.
Elon Musk also rejected a connection between the crash and Tesla’s self-driving technology in a post on X. Musk said Full Self-Driving moves slowly on neighborhood streets and described the Katy crash as a high-speed incident.
The competing accounts leave investigators to determine what role, if any, Tesla’s driver-assistance system played before the impact. For now, the public record includes the sheriff’s office statement to ABC News that an automated driving assistance system was in use and Tesla’s claim that the driver’s accelerator input overrode the system.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.