Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, has been involved in 14 reported crashes since its launch in June 2025, according to data disclosed to federal safety regulators. The latest reports, submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), detail five recent incidents occurring in December 2025 and January 2026, bringing the total number of crashes to 14.
All of the newly reported crashes involved Tesla Model Y vehicles operating with the autonomous driving system engaged in Austin, Texas. Incident details, yet, are largely redacted, with Tesla citing “confidential business information” as justification for withholding specifics. The redacted reports include details of a collision with a stationary object at 17 mph, a crash involving a bus even as the Tesla was stopped, and an impact with a heavy truck at 4 mph. Two additional incidents involved the vehicle backing into objects at low speeds – one into a pole or tree at 1 mph and another into a fixed object at 2 mph.
While the majority of crashes have resulted in property damage, one incident originally reported in July 2025 has been revised to include a hospitalization. The July crash, involving a right turn and an SUV at approximately 3 mph, was initially classified as property damage only. The updated report, filed in December 2025, now indicates a “Minor W/ Hospitalization” injury.
The increasing number of incidents has prompted scrutiny of the service’s safety record relative to the distance traveled. Tesla reported that its robotaxi fleet had accumulated approximately 1.1 million miles by the end of November 2025. Extrapolating that figure, the fleet likely reached around 1.3 million miles by mid-January 2026. This equates to one crash per approximately 92,000 miles driven.
According to Tesla’s own Vehicle Safety Report, the average U.S. Driver experiences a minor crash every 368,000 miles and a severe crash every 1.12 million miles. Based on these figures, Tesla’s robotaxi fleet is experiencing minor crashes at a rate nearly four times higher than the average human driver, despite operating with a trained safety driver present who could have intervened. This suggests the safety drivers may have prevented additional crashes that the autonomous system would have otherwise caused.
NHTSA data indicates that, on average, there is one police-reported crash per 800,000 miles driven across all vehicles. The higher frequency of incidents involving Tesla’s robotaxis in Austin raises questions about the safety of the technology in real-world conditions. Waymo, another autonomous vehicle operator, has reported 51 incidents in Austin, but has accumulated significantly more autonomous driving miles – over 204 million – across multiple cities over a longer period. Waymo cites studies indicating a lower rate of injury-causing collisions compared to human drivers, though direct comparisons are complicated by differing operational designs and environments.
Tesla is the only automated driving system operator to systematically redact crash details submitted to NHTSA, citing confidentiality. Waymo and Zoox provide full narrative descriptions of their incidents in the same database. NHTSA continues to monitor the data and has the authority to take action, including removing vehicles from the road, if a safety defect is identified. As of February 24, 2026, NHTSA has not announced any further action regarding the Tesla robotaxi program.
