Federal regulators have opened a probe into a collision that killed a Texas woman when a Tesla crashed through a brick home last week.
The driver reported an automated driving-assistance system was engaged at the time. A Tesla official said the driver "manually overrode" the self-driving feature with heavy acceleration.
A spokesperson for the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration confirmed that a "Special Crash investigation" — the "most in-depth and detailed level of crash investigation data" collection — has been launched.
The federal regulator said that the cases NHTSA chooses could involve probes into "emerging technologies," including "alternative fueled vehicles," "adaptive controls," and "potential safety defects."
The crash happened around 8:03 p.m. on Friday in Katy, Texas, where Michael Butler was driving a Tesla Model 3, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Saturday.
Authorities said the driver told them he had an automated driving-assistance system engaged.
"Butler failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway, and struck the residence," the sheriff's office said.
"Butler's Tesla entered through the brick residence, at a high rate of speed, and struck M. Avila who was inside the residence," it added.
Avila was flown by medical helicopter to a local hospital, where she later died from injuries sustained in the crash, according to the sheriff's office.
"There were no signs of intoxication on Butler and he was cooperative during the investigation," the statement added.
In an X post on Monday, Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's head of AI, said that the driver "manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area."
"They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash," he said in the post.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to an inquiry regarding Elluswamy's post.
It was not clear which of Tesla's features Butler was using at the time of the crash — the company offers Autopilot and full self-driving capabilities. Tesla says the features are for the "fully attentive driver" who should be ready to take over at any time.
Tesla did not respond to a Business Insider request for comment. Business Insider was unable to contact Butler.
The crash comes as Tesla's driver-assistance features have faced scrutiny in courts and from regulators.
Last year, a Florida jury found the automaker partially liable in a 2019 crash in which a driver hit another vehicle while Autopilot was engaged. In a separate case, a California judge ruled last year that Tesla's branding of the feature as "Autopilot" was misleading, leading the company to change its name.
Update: June 22, 2026 — This story has been updated to reflect that the driver told authorities the automated driving-assistance feature was engaged at the time of the crash; the investigation is ongoing. It also adds a statement from a Tesla executive about the circumstances of the crash.
