February 17, 2026
Bumper cars, but premium
Tesla 'Robotaxi' adds 5 more crashes in Austin in a month – 4x worse than humans
Fans say ‘minor bumps,’ critics say ‘unsafe’ — and Waymo stans are roasting Tesla
TLDR: Tesla logged five more Austin Robotaxi incidents (14 total) and quietly marked one as requiring hospital care, while still redacting details. Comments split between “just low-speed bumps” and “not ready, too secretive,” with Waymo fans dunking and others fearing this hurts trust in self-driving for everyone.
Tesla’s Austin “Robotaxi” tally just added five more incidents, bringing the total to 14 since launch — and the comment section is on fire. The headline fact: Tesla quietly upgraded a July crash to include hospitalization, and the company still redacts every crash narrative in the NHTSA database for automated driving systems (ADS). Cue the drama.
On one side, skeptics like jackp96 argue the latest mishaps are mostly low-speed fender taps — “only one seems like a true crash?” — pointing out bumps at 1–4 mph and even a collision while the Tesla was stationary. Others clap back: Traster says the system “just isn’t ready,” roasting Tesla for ditching basic parking sensors many cars include, while memes joke the Robotaxi is in “reverse-only mode.”
Then the bias war explodes: small_model calls the source “anti-Tesla,” while pro-Waymo folks arrive with receipts. AlotOfReading reminds everyone Waymo’s helpers aren’t steering cars, and commenters link to Waymo’s safety brag sheet as they dunk on Tesla’s rate — roughly one crash every 57,000 miles, far worse than Tesla’s own human benchmarks. Lateforwork warns the public won’t split hairs: “Tesla is tanking trust” in robotaxis. Whether you see harmless bumps or a pattern of secrecy, the community’s verdict is loud: the vibes are bad.
Key Points
- •Tesla reported five new ADS crashes in Austin, totaling 14 since the Robotaxi launch in June 2025.
- •All new incidents involved Model Y vehicles with ADS verified as engaged; narratives are fully redacted by Tesla.
- •A July 2025 crash report was revised in December 2025 to “Minor W/ Hospitalization,” indicating hospital treatment.
- •Estimated fleet mileage of ~800,000 miles yields ~1 crash per 57,000 miles, worse than Tesla’s and NHTSA’s human benchmarks.
- •Waymo’s fully driverless fleet reports far higher mileage, offers full narratives, and shows significant injury-reduction in independent research.