The NHTSA has opened a special crash investigation after a Tesla Model 3 struck a home in Katy, Texas, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. The driver told authorities he was using Tesla's partially automated driving systems at the time.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a special crash investigation Monday after a Tesla Model 3 left its lane and struck a residential home in Katy, Texas, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila.
Harris County authorities identified the driver as Michael Butler, who told investigators on the scene that he had been using Tesla's partially automated driving systems at the time of the crash in the Houston suburb.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to the incident in a post on his social network X, pushing back on the suggestion that the company's technology was responsible. "FSD drives slowly through neighborhood streets and this was a high speed crash!" he wrote.
Tesla Vice President of Autopilot Ashok Elluswamy elaborated further in a reply to Musk on X. "In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area," Elluswamy wrote. "They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash."
Neither the driver's account nor the claims made by Tesla executives have been independently verified, and both remain under investigation.
The latest probe adds to a lengthening federal record of scrutiny over Tesla's driver-assistance technology. The NHTSA has opened more than three dozen Tesla special crash investigations involving the company's partially automated driving systems since 2016, when they became standard equipment in new Tesla vehicles.
The systems were marketed under the name "Autopilot" in the United States until February, when Tesla renamed them following legal pressure from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. A California court and the DMV concluded that Tesla had engaged in false advertising around those systems, potentially misleading consumers about their limitations.
The Katy crash is not an isolated incident. A May collision in Clairemont, California, saw a Tesla strike another vehicle before crashing into a home, injuring six people. Witnesses told local news outlets that the driver in that incident also said they were using Autopilot at the time.
TeslaDeaths.com, an independent site that tracks Tesla-involved collisions using news reports, police records, and federal data, has identified at least 65 fatalities in crashes where Tesla Autopilot or FSD (Supervised) had been cited as a factor between 2013 and 2025.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on the Katy crash. The company has also faced prior reporting that it has a history of making it difficult for attorneys and other interested parties to obtain comprehensive electronic data generated by its vehicles in severe collisions.
Tesla shares closed up by a point on Monday at $405.05 despite news of the federal probe.
The investigation arrives at a particularly sensitive moment for the company, as Musk has been working to sustain investor confidence that Tesla can become a global leader in autonomous vehicles and eventually operate large fleets of robotaxis on public roads in the United States.
Sara Montes de Oca is the Editor in Chief of TechEchelon. Previously a correspondent and producer in Washington, D.C., covering business, finance, and politics.
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