By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, - A U.S. agency on Monday said it was investigating the June 19 fatal crash of a Tesla Model 3 that was reportedly using an advanced driver assistance system when it struck a home in Katy, Texas, fatally injuring a 76-year-old woman.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened nearly 50 special crash investigations since 2016 into incidents involving Teslas in which advanced driver assistance systems such as Autopilot were suspected of being used with about two dozen deaths reported.
Separately, NHTSA in March escalated its probe into 3.2 million Tesla vehicles with Full Self-Driving driver-assistance on concerns the system may fail to detect or warn drivers in poor visibility.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the fatal Texas crash. It was not clear what system the driver was using.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on X said that a media report about the investigation "makes no sense. FSD drives slowly through neighborhood streets and this was a high speed crash!"
NHTSA typically opens more than 100 special crash investigations annually into emerging technologies and other potential auto safety issues. Such investigations have previously helped to develop safety rules on air bags.
This is the first Tesla SCI investigation opened since July 2023 and only the second this year following a probe into a fatal Toyota crash in April in Louisiana.
In October, NHTSA launched a separate investigation into 2.88 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD over more than 50 reports of traffic safety violations and a series of crashes.
Tesla in 2023 recalled 2 million vehicles - nearly all of its EVs on U.S. roads - to better ensure drivers pay attention when using its Autopilot advanced driver assistance system.
