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A Tesla Cybercab drives through stormwater on Barton Springs Road after an Oct. 14 rainstorm. The purpose-built robotaxi, which began service Sept. 3 in Austin, reported its first crash to federal regulators.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Tesla Inc.<\/a> reported its first-ever\u00a0Cybercab crash<\/a> to federal safety regulators just days after the purpose-built robotaxi hit the road.<\/p>\n It was among 24 robotaxi crashes across Texas in the four weeks ending Sept. 15. Nine of them, including the Cybercab crash,\u00a0occurred in Austin.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Tesla reported eight crashes across the state, three of which were in Austin. Its crash count in the capital city is now 26 since June 2025. Waymo, the industry leader with far more vehicles registered to operate on Texas roads than Tesla, also reported eight crashes, five of which were in Austin.\u00a0Waymo has reported 140 crashes since June 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n TAKING A RIDE: Inside Tesla\u2019s Cybercab: No steering wheel, no pedals and a few surprises.<\/a><\/p>\n Waymo has reported a total of\u00a0five\u00a0crashes in San Antonio, including one in the latest data. Waymo said it occurred when a human-driven vehicle turned in front of the\u00a0robotaxi and was hit. Tesla has not entered the San Antonio market.<\/p>\n Austin-based Avride reported two crashes in the latest data, both of which were in Dallas, keeping Avride\u2019s tally in Austin at 27. Zoox reported one new crash, for a total of four Austin incidents.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n According to its report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla said its Cybercab was damaged when it drove at about 5 mph into a large pothole filled with water. The vehicle was occupied by a safety monitor but had no passengers. Lidar scanners, which Tesla robotaxis lack, have been used by other companies to detect such obstacles, scan their surroundings and observe road surfaces and potholes<\/a>. Tesla robotaxis rely only on video.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tesla unveiled<\/a> its\u00a0Cybercab Sept. 3 in Austin.<\/p>\n In another notable Tesla crash, a Model\u00a0Y robotaxi without passengers was stopped on a residential street when a remote operator took control to move the vehicle forward, hitting a parked SUV. Tesla and Waymo have declined to answer questions about\u00a0how frequently their remote operators step in to tele-drive<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Most of the latest crashes resulted only in damage to vehicles, though a Waymo crash in Houston included minor injuries. It happened when a human-driven passenger vehicle spun out of control at an exit\u00a0offramp, entering the lane the Waymo was in. A test driver transitioned the vehicle into manual mode, braking and maneuvering away from the out-of-control human-driven passenger car. The\u00a0Waymo vehicle hit the barrier wall and the test driver was transported to the hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Waymo maintains that its performance tops that of a human driver. In its latest safety impact report<\/a>, it noted that across five major metro service areas including Austin, its vehicles were involved in 841 fewer injury-causing crashes through June 2026\u00a0\u2014 82% fewer than the number for comparable miles driven by humans. The Houston incident was a rare crash on a highway or freeway. Just last month, the company began offering rides to customers<\/a> on such roads.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n