Tesla Robotaxi vehicles were involved in at least two low-speed crashes while being remotely controlled by teleoperators in Austin, according to newly unredacted crash reports submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Both incidents occurred after Tesla’s autonomous driving system encountered navigation difficulties and safety monitors requested assistance from Tesla’s remote support team. In each case, a safety monitor remained seated behind the wheel, and no passengers were inside the vehicles.
The newly disclosed information became public after Tesla stopped redacting detailed crash descriptions in reports filed with NHTSA. The updated filings now include narrative descriptions for all 17 crashes recorded by Tesla’s Robotaxi network since last year.
Previously, Tesla had withheld those descriptions, arguing they contained confidential business information.
Remote Operators Involved In Two Reported Crashes
One of the newly detailed crashes occurred in July 2025, shortly after Tesla launched Robotaxi operations in Austin.
According to the filing, Tesla’s automated driving system became unable to move forward while stopped on a street. The safety monitor requested help from Tesla’s remote assistance team, after which a teleoperator took over control of the vehicle.
The filing stated that the teleoperator gradually increased the vehicle’s speed and steered left before the Robotaxi drove onto a curb and struck a metal fence.
A second incident occurred in January 2026.
In that case, Tesla’s autonomous driving system was traveling straight on a street when the safety monitor again requested remote navigation assistance.
According to the report submitted to NHTSA, the teleoperator assumed control while the vehicle was stopped and continued driving forward before the Robotaxi collided with a temporary construction barricade at approximately 9 miles per hour.
The crash scraped the vehicle’s front-left fender and tire.
Tesla Previously Confirmed Remote Driving Capability
The crashes occurred months after Tesla informed lawmakers that remote operators could directly pilot company vehicles under limited conditions.
At the time, Tesla said teleoperators were permitted to drive vehicles remotely as long as speeds remained below 10 miles per hour.
The company said the feature was intended to reposition vehicles that became stuck or entered compromising situations without requiring first responders or field staff to recover them physically.
Tesla, along with other autonomous vehicle developers, must report crashes involving self-driving systems to NHTSA.
Other Robotaxi Incidents Included Animal And Parking Lot Collisions
Most of the other crashes disclosed in Tesla’s updated filings involved external vehicles striking Robotaxis rather than the Tesla vehicles causing collisions.
However, some incidents involved the Robotaxis themselves making contact with surrounding objects.
One crash from September 2025 involved a Tesla Robotaxi clipping mirrors on another vehicle.
Another September 2025 incident involved the autonomous driving system making an unprotected left turn into a parking lot before colliding with a metal chain.
NHTSA recently closed an investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software regarding collisions involving parking lot chains, bollards, and gates.
Waymo also issued a recall last year connected to a similar issue involving parking lot obstacles.
Another reported September 2025 crash involved a Tesla Robotaxi striking a dog that entered the roadway unexpectedly. Tesla said the dog survived and ran away after the collision.
Tesla Expands Robotaxi Network Slowly Amid Safety Concerns
Tesla has reported fewer total Robotaxi crashes than competitors such as Waymo and Zoox. However, Tesla’s autonomous ride-hailing network currently operates at a much smaller scale.
The newly unredacted crash reports provide additional insight into some of the operational challenges Tesla has faced while expanding its Robotaxi service.
Last month, Elon Musk said the company’s primary limitation in expanding the Robotaxi network was “making sure things are completely safe.”
Musk also said Tesla was proceeding “very cautious” with deployment efforts.
Featured image credits: creativecommons.org
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