Federal investigators say the driver of a Tesla involved in a deadly crash in Katy, Texas, manually overrode the car’s Full-Self Driving system by pressing the accelerator all the way down. According to the findings, the crash killed a woman inside her home after the vehicle left the road.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the Tesla Model 3 was traveling at more than 70 mph during the incident. That detail adds to the severity of the crash and underscores how quickly the situation escalated before impact.
The findings indicate that despite the vehicle’s driver-assistance technology being in use, direct driver input played a decisive role. Pressing the accelerator fully can override the system, placing control back with the person behind the wheel.
The case is likely to add to broader scrutiny around Tesla’s Full-Self Driving feature and the limits of advanced driving systems. It also reinforces the importance of understanding how these tools operate and how driver actions can affect their behavior in critical moments.
