Newly unredacted federal crash data shows that at least two Tesla robotaxi accidents since July 2025 occurred while remote human operators were controlling the vehicles, not the onboard software. The data comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which requires all self-driving car companies to report crashes. Until recently, Tesla had asked regulators to keep portions of that data hidden to protect what the company called confidential business information.
According to a report by Engadget, both crashes took place in Austin, Texas, the city where Tesla first began offering robotaxi rides to the public in June 2025. In both cases, a safety monitor was behind the wheel and no passengers were on board when the incidents occurred.
The first crash happened in July 2025. After a safety monitor requested assistance, a remote operator took control of the vehicle, increased its speed, and then drove it "up the curb and made contact with a metal fence." The second crash occurred in January 2026, when a remote operator assumed control and "made contact with a temporary barricade for a construction site at approximately 9MPH."
Tesla first disclosed to lawmakers in March 2025 that it uses remote operators to drive its robotaxis. That practice sets Tesla apart from other autonomous driving companies. While competitors also use remote workers, those workers typically consult with the driving software rather than taking direct control of the vehicle.
Not every Tesla robotaxi crash has involved a teleoperator. The data also includes incidents where robotaxis clipped mirrors on other vehicles, and one case where a robotaxi was unable to avoid hitting a dog that ran into the street. The dog survived.
Beyond crashes, the robotaxi service is dealing with performance problems on the road. According to a Reuters report cited by Engadget, a reporter using the service in Dallas on a recent Monday afternoon spent nearly two hours to complete what would typically be a 20-minute drive, covering about 5 miles from the campus of Southern Methodist University to Dallas City Hall. Reporters also noted multiple instances where robotaxis dropped off riders 15 minutes away from their intended destination, even when that destination fell within Tesla's coverage area.
Tesla is not alone in facing crashes and software problems. Waymo, the furthest along of Tesla's competitors in the robotaxi space, has dealt with similar issues. Still, the pattern of incidents and service disruptions points to significant ground Tesla has yet to cover before it can operate at the scale of its rivals.
