Federal Regulators Review Fatal Tesla Crash in Texas
Federal safety regulators have opened a special crash investigation into a fatal Tesla Model 3 incident in Katy, Texas, where a vehicle crashed into a home and killed 76-year-old Martha Avila, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Harris County authorities said the driver, Michael Butler, cooperated at the scene and reported that he had been using Tesla’s partially automated driving system when the car left its lane in the Houston-area suburb.
Tesla executives disputed aspects of that account on X. Chief Executive Elon Musk wrote that the crash “makes no sense,” saying the company’s Full Self-Driving system moves slowly on neighborhood streets and the incident involved high speed. Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s vice president of Autopilot, said the driver manually overrode the system by fully pressing the accelerator, reaching 73 mph and continuing to press the pedal after impact. Those statements, along with the driver’s account, remain under investigation and have not been independently verified.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. The Washington Post has previously reported that Tesla has faced criticism over access to vehicle data after serious crashes, including allegations that records were lost, withheld or difficult to obtain.
NHTSA has opened more than three dozen special crash investigations involving Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems since 2016, when the technology became standard in new Tesla vehicles. The system formerly marketed as Autopilot was renamed after legal pressure from California regulators. A state court and the California Department of Motor Vehicles found Tesla had falsely advertised Autopilot, potentially confusing consumers about its limits.
The Texas case follows another California crash in which a Tesla entered a home, injuring six people. TeslaDeaths.com, a tracker, cites 65 fatalities from crashes mentioning Autopilot or FSD from 2013–2025. Tesla shares rose Monday.