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Tesla Model 3 Hits Texas Home, Killing Woman
NHTSA Opens Investigation Into Fatal June 19 Crash in Houston Area
Key Takeaways:
- NHTSA confirms it has opened a special crash investigation into the June 19 incident.
- The driver told authorities he was using an automated driver-assistance system when the vehicle left the roadway at high speed.
- Tesla did not immediately comment.
A fatal collision involving a Tesla sedan is under federal investigation after an electric vehicle slammed into a home in Texas, killing a woman inside.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said June 22 that it has opened a special crash investigation into the June 19 incident. The agency, which confirmed the probe in an emailed statement, didn’t offer additional details.
A Tesla Model 3 crashed into a brick home near Houston on June 19, an incident that garnered widespread attention after it was caught on a front-door video camera. The driver told authorities he was using an automated driver-assistance system when the vehicle left the roadway and crashed at a high rate of speed, according to a statement by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The company’s head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, later said in a post on X that Tesla’s driver-assistance system wasn’t engaged at the time of the crash, without providing evidence.
Yup. In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area. They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash. — Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) June 22, 2026
The Wall Street Journal reported the NHTSA probe earlier June 22.
