Tesla Driver Overrode Full-Self Driving, Crashing Into Texas Home

On a residential two-lane road in Katy, Texas, a 44-year-old driver of a 2025 Tesla Model 3 engaged Full Self-Driving (FSD) (Supervised) and then fully depressed the accelerator pedal, propelling the vehicle to a speed greater than 113 km/h (over 70 mph). The car struck the front wall of a house where 76-year-old Martha Avila lived, killing her at a nearby hospital. The road’s posted speed limit was 30 mph (48 km/h). The driver, identified as Michael Butler, later told law enforcement he had engaged Autopilot before the impact.

Reuters

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recovered electronic data confirming the driver’s manual override of the FSD system and the high speed at impact. The NTSB’s preliminary findings align with Tesla’s position that driver action caused the crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also investigating; since 2016 it has opened nearly 50 special investigations into Tesla crashes involving advanced driver-assistance systems, reporting about two dozen fatalities. In March, NHTSA escalated its probe of the 3.2 million Teslas equipped with FSD, citing concerns the system may fail to detect or warn drivers in poor visibility.

The Straits TimesReuters

Tesla’s vice-president of artificial-intelligence software, Ashok Elluswamy, posted on X that the driver “manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100 %.” Tesla maintains that Autopilot “enables vehicles to steer, accelerate and brake within their lanes, while FSD lets vehicles obey traffic signals and change lanes,” and stresses that “both technologies require ‘fully attentive’ drivers whose hands are on the wheel and neither make the vehicle autonomous.”

ReutersThe Straits Times

Safety advocates and regulators have highlighted the crash as evidence that Tesla’s driver-assistance technologies may not reliably prevent dangerous driver inputs, especially at speeds far exceeding local limits. The NHTSA’s expanded investigation reflects broader industry concerns about system performance in low-visibility conditions.

The Straits Times

• “the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%.” — Ashok Elluswamy, Vice-President of AI Software, Tesla

Reuters

• “Avila’s daughter, Jennifer Barbour, and her husband, Justin Barbour, said the Model 3‘s driver, Michael Butler, told law enforcement he engaged Autopilot before plowing through the front wall of Avila’s home.” — Jennifer Barbour, daughter of Martha Avila

The Straits Times

• “Tesla has said Autopilot enables vehicles to steer, accelerate and brake within their lanes, while FSD lets vehicles obey traffic signals and change lanes.” — Tesla corporate statement

The Straits Times

• “The automaker has also said both technologies require "fully attentive" drivers whose hands are on the wheel and neither make the vehicle autonomous.” — Tesla corporate statement

Reuters

• “Since 2016, NHTSA has opened nearly 50 special investigations of Tesla crashes believed to involve advanced driver assistance systems.” — NHTSA briefing (reported)

The Straits Times