Tesla has disclosed two low-speed crashes involving its Robotaxi service in Austin, according to newly unredacted filings submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In both cases, a teleoperator remotely controlled the vehicle, and no passengers were inside at the time. The incidents occurred after Tesla launched its early Robotaxi network in Austin and were part of the company’s broader reporting of Robotaxi-related events to regulators.
The first crash happened in July 2025. Tesla’s autonomous driving system reportedly had trouble moving forward after stopping in the street, so a teleoperator took over and gradually accelerated while turning left. The vehicle then climbed a curb and hit a metal fence.
The second incident took place in January 2026. In that case, the Robotaxi was traveling straight when the safety monitor requested assistance. A teleoperator took control from a stop, moved forward, and struck a temporary construction barricade at about 9 mph, causing damage to the front-left fender and tire.
Tesla has said teleoperators are allowed to remotely pilot vehicles only at speeds below 10 mph, and only for limited repositioning maneuvers in difficult situations. The company previously described this feature as a way to move a vehicle out of an awkward position without waiting for a first responder or field representative.
Before this week, Tesla had redacted the NHTSA crash reports. It has now disclosed all 17 Robotaxi incidents recorded since the service launched in Austin last summer. Most of the other reported crashes involved Tesla vehicles being struck by outside road users rather than being caused directly by the self-driving system. Other self-caused incidents included side-mirror contact with parked cars, a collision with a chain, and one event where a Robotaxi struck a dog that ran into the road. Tesla said the dog escaped unharmed.
The filings come as autonomous driving systems face close regulatory attention. NHTSA recently closed a separate probe into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software after reports of vehicles hitting parking-lot obstacles such as bollards and chains.
Tesla’s Robotaxi program remains at a small scale, and CEO Elon Musk has said safety is still the main factor limiting expansion. For investors, the key takeaway is that Tesla is continuing to expose real-world edge cases as it builds its autonomy stack, but the program is still in an early phase and operating under tight controls.
These disclosures show Tesla is moving forward with Robotaxi testing while still facing the safety and regulatory challenges that come with autonomy. For investors, the pace of rollout matters as much as the headline progress, because widespread commercialization will depend on Tesla proving the system can operate safely and consistently.
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