The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a formal inquiry into a fatal Tesla crash in Texas. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
The crash occurred on 19 June at around 20:00 local time (03:00 GMT). A Tesla Model 3 "failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway, and struck the residence", according to the police report. A 76-year-old woman inside the home was severely injured and died as a result. Police said the driver was not intoxicated and told investigators that the vehicle was operating with an automated driving assistance system at the time.
Sergeant Alex Turman of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said the vehicle "failed to turn right at an intersection and, at a high rate of speed, crashed directly into a house". The woman's daughter told CBS, a BBC partner, that she discovered her mother in the house after the crash. "My mum was such a caring woman," she said.
"NHTSA is launching a special crash investigation into this crash," an agency spokesperson said. The special crash investigation is the most "in-depth and detailed" form of inquiry the agency does, according to its website. It is separate from the local police investigation and often covers emerging technology in vehicles.
Tesla refers to its automated driving technology as "full self-driving (assisted)". The technology has been criticised, and earlier this year NHTSA expanded an investigation into it over potentially poor performance in inclement weather. Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal sent a letter demanding NHTSA investigate Tesla's FSD technology for safety risks, saying claims are based on misleading data analysis.
A Tesla representative did not respond to a request for comment. The driver was taken to hospital and is cooperating with the investigation. Police are still evaluating what caused the car to fail to control its speed, with one line of investigation being the driver's claim of using an automated driving system.