Tesla Crash Believed to Be Driverless Draws Investigation

A Tesla vehicle crashed on Saturday north of Houston, killing its two passengers.

Photo: scott j. engle/Reuters

April 19, 2021 11:39 am ET

U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating a weekend crash involving a Tesla Inc. TSLA -2.88% vehicle, adding to a series of probes into incidents involving the electric-vehicle maker.

Local authorities believe the Tesla Model S was operating without anyone in the driver’s seat when it crashed into a tree Saturday night north of Houston.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had launched a team to investigate the crash.

“We are actively engaged with local law enforcement and Tesla to learn more about the details of the crash and will take appropriate steps when we have more information,” NHTSA said in a statement.

U.S. safety regulators are probing crashes involving Teslas, suspecting the company’s Autopilot system might be involved. WSJ’s Robert Wall reports on how some motorists may mistakenly think Autopilot is a self-driving feature that doesn’t require their attention. (First published March 18)

Write to Rebecca Elliott at [email protected]

This post first appeared on wsj.com