NHTSA Opens Tesla Fatal-Crash Probe After Model 3 Kills 76-Year-Old in Texas
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jun 22
NHTSA Opens Tesla Fatal-Crash Probe After Model 3 Kills 76-Year-Old in Texas
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jun 22
Summary
A special NHTSA investigation is examining a Katy, Texas, crash in which a Tesla Model 3 left its lane, slammed into a home and killed 76-year-old Martha Avila.
Harris County authorities said driver Michael Butler told investigators he had been using Tesla’s partially automated driving systems at the scene and was cooperating with the probe.
The case adds to more than three dozen NHTSA special crash investigations involving Tesla driver-assistance systems since 2016, when the features became standard on new vehicles.
The scrutiny lands as Tesla pushes automated driving and robotaxi ambitions, after California regulators and a court found its former Autopilot branding could mislead consumers about the system’s limits.