Article Summary
Tesla's Q3 2025 vehicle safety report claims its Autopilot system achieved one crash per 6.36 million miles driven, compared to one crash per 993,000 miles for human drivers, suggesting Autopilot is significantly safer. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating approximately 2.9 million Tesla vehicles equipped with full self-driving capabilities for potential failures to obey traffic signals and stop signs.
- Tesla recorded one crash per 6.36 million miles with Autopilot engaged versus one crash per 993,000 miles without it in Q3 2025.
- The NHTSA opened an investigation in October 2025 into 2.9 million Tesla vehicles over concerns the full self-driving system may fail to obey traffic lights, stop signs, and react slowly to road conditions.
- Tesla's vehicle design features large crumple zones and rigid passenger compartments that the company claims reduce crash injury severity.
- NHTSA identified more than 50 incidents where full self-driving appeared active and at least 13 fatal crashes involving Tesla Autopilot.
- The report was released amid regulatory scrutiny and a $1 trillion compensation package approved for CEO Elon Musk by shareholders.
Toronto, Ontario -- Tesla is releasing its Q3 Vehicle Safety Report, which claims its models “have achieved among the lowest overall probability of injury of any vehicles ever tested” by the United States New Car Assessment Program, the main crash testing body used by the United States government to inform car safety ratings.
The report argues that the design of Tesla’s vehicles reduces crash injury because the battery pack acts as part of the vehicle’s structure. In the company’s view this creates “very large crumple zones” that absorb energy in a crash and a “rigid passenger compartment” that protects occupants.
The report also states that fleet level crash data gathered from Tesla vehicles show fewer accidents when the Autopilot driver-assist system is engaged compared with when human drivers operate the same vehicles without the system engaged. The third quarter data are summarized as follows:
“In the 3rd quarter, we recorded one crash for every 6.36 million miles driven in which drivers were using Autopilot technology. For drivers who were not using Autopilot technology, we recorded one crash for every 993,000 miles driven. By comparison, the most recent data available from NHTSA and FHWA (from 2023) shows that in the United States there was an automobile crash approximately every 702,000 miles.”
Tesla began posting quarterly crash statistics in October 2018. The current page states that the third quarter 2025 report is the latest version.
Other institutions are tracking the same issue. On October 10 2025 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into approximately 2.9 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving system.
Officials from the NHTSA said it is examining whether the system ever fails to obey traffic lights or stop signs, makes unsafe turns or reacts too slowly to changing road conditions. Earlier this year, the agency said it had identified more than fifty incidents, including collisions, where the system appears to have been active.
The Guardian also reported that NHTSA identified at least thirteen fatal crashes involving Tesla vehicles using Autopilot and that the agency concluded the company’s driver engagement system “was not appropriate for Autopilot’s permissive operating capabilities.”
The release comes as the world's attention is focused on a major new deal signed between the OEM's board and its chief executive officer. On November 6 2025 shareholders approved a compensation package for chief executive officer Elon Musk that could be worth up to US$1 trillion (about $1.39 trillion) if performance targets are met. Earlier this year a Delaware court voided Musk’s previous package after finding that directors had not negotiated the deal at arm’s length.
