U.S. federal safety regulators have initiated a special crash investigation into a fatal incident involving a Tesla Motors vehicle near Houston, where the car collided with a house, resulting in a fatality.
The driver informed law enforcement that the vehicle's driver-assistance system was active at the time of the crash, which occurred late last week when the Tesla Motors car left the road and struck a residence.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the investigation on Monday. The agency's special crash investigations unit probes over 100 such incidents annually that are considered unusual or severe.
According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the driver stated the vehicle was in an autopilot mode. The vehicle reportedly left the roadway at high speed and crashed through a brick home, striking a woman inside named Martha Avila, who later died from her injuries.
Home security camera footage obtained by media outlets shows a blue Tesla Motors Model 3 traveling at high speed through a yard and driveway before striking the front of a house in Katy, Texas.
The company has not responded to requests for comment. A senior executive from Tesla Motors posted on social media that data indicated the driver's foot was on the accelerator pedal before and during the crash.
This investigation marks the latest federal scrutiny into Tesla Motors' advanced driver-assistance technology. NHTSA has an ongoing defect investigation into the company's supervised Full Self-Driving system, which can control steering and acceleration but requires constant driver supervision. A defect finding can lead to safety recalls.
Tesla Motors charges customers a $99 monthly subscription for access to the Full Self-Driving feature. It is not yet confirmed if this feature was active during the crash, and the sheriff's office has not clarified this point.
Authorities stated the investigation is ongoing and will be presented to the district attorney's office upon completion to determine if criminal charges are warranted against the driver.
In recent years, NHTSA has opened over 40 special crash investigations into Tesla Motors incidents where advanced driver-assistance systems are suspected to have been in use. Federal regulations require automakers to report all fatal crashes involving these systems.
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