| | | smart move, I think the shine is off Musk's products
Tesla's ‘Robotaxis' Keep Crashing-Even With Human ‘Safety Monitors' Onboard By Max Taylor Autoblog Updated October 31, 2025 2:36 PM Tesla's pilot "robotaxi" program is facing mounting scrutiny after multiple incidents in Austin, Texas, where the company's driverless cars have reportedly been involved in several low-speed crashes despite having human safety monitors on board. Spotted by Electrek and found here on the NHTSA website, both cite federal reports confirming at least four accidents since the fleet quietly began operations this summer. The NHTSA is already investigating Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software over erratic traffic behavior, and the robotaxi crashes appear to extend those concerns into Tesla's dedicated autonomous service. The agency said it is reviewing new reports related to these test vehicles as it evaluates whether Tesla's systems meet federal safety standards.
Monitors Aren't Preventing Mistakes Each Tesla robotaxi currently operates with a safety monitor in the driver's seat, ready to take control if the system fails. But several of the Austin crashes occurred while the vehicles were moving slowly or stationary, one incident involved contact with a fixed object in a parking area. Analysts say this suggests the system's perception and decision-making may not be giving monitors enough time to react, a key issue NHTSA has previously flagged in other FSD-related investigations.
Tesla's autonomous challenges arrive just as the company continues to juggle broader reliability and quality concerns. Tesla recently recalled 13,000 vehicles because of a battery defect that could cause sudden power loss, adding to the list of active recalls. Safety questions like these compound pressure on Tesla's wider push toward autonomy, particularly as Elon Musk insists the company will expand its driverless operations to new cities by year-end.
Read more at: miamiherald.com |
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