Tesla acknowledges Full Self-Driving was active before fatal Texas home crash

Tesla has now confirmed that its Full Self-Driving system was operating when a Model 3 veered off a residential street in Katy, Texas, and struck a home, killing a 76-year-old woman inside.

Tesla attributes the crash to driver override. The company’s head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, reported that logged vehicle data indicates driver Michael Butler “manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area.” According to the automaker the sedan accelerated to 73 mph while the pedal stayed fully depressed, and that pressure continued even after the vehicle smashed through the brick wall.

Crash occurred under Full Self-Driving conditions. The admission establishes that the automated system was engaged when the Model 3 left the roadway. Tesla now maintains that all available evidence suggests a pedal misapplication while the car was under “Full Self-Driving.”

Company questions its own liability. Executives argue the manual override clears the company of responsibility. Tesla has not disclosed any preceding system alerts, driver monitoring activity or other details from the moments before the acceleration began.

The fatal collision occurred in a residential neighborhood; federal regulators have yet to comment publicly on the case.