Tesla has reported five additional collisions involving its Austin-based robotaxi fleet in December 2025 and January 2026, bringing the total to 14 incidents since the service launched in June 2025. The fleet, mainly Model Y vehicles with engaged autonomous systems, shows a crash rate higher than human-driven benchmarks. Despite this, Tesla started limited driverless rides in late January 2026.
Data from the NHTSA Standing General Order reveals that Tesla's Austin robotaxi operations experienced five new collisions over December 2025 and January 2026. These incidents involved the fleet, which consists primarily of Model Y units running with verified autonomous driving systems. Since the June 2025 launch, the total number of reported crashes has climbed to 14.
The recent collisions included low-speed impacts with a bus, a heavy truck, and fixed objects during backing, as well as a 17 mph crash into a stationary object while moving straight ahead. Tesla also updated a July 2025 incident report, changing its classification from property damage to a minor injury that required hospitalization.
Unlike competitors such as Waymo and Zoox, which share detailed accounts of their fleet incidents, Tesla withholds descriptions, citing confidential business information. This approach hinders external safety evaluations as the company shifts to fully driverless services.
Estimates place the fleet's cumulative mileage at 800,000 miles, resulting in one incident every 57,000 miles. This rate is nearly four times higher than Tesla's stated baseline for minor collisions by human drivers. Safety monitors remain in use to address system issues, yet Tesla introduced limited rides without monitors in late January 2026, using about 42 vehicles with restricted access.
