Business
Tesla Cited the NHTSA File That Records 17 Crashes
Ashok Elluswamy named the NHTSA database to confirm zero Robotaxi incidents at the April 22 earnings call. It recorded 15; the 10-Q signed that day discloses a pending lawsuit over whether those claims are materially misleading.
On April 22, 2026, Tesla VP of AI Software Ashok Elluswamy answered a Robotaxi safety question by citing a specific federal document.
"So far we have zero incidents," he said at the Q1 earnings call. "And that's what NHTSA filing also shows."
The NHTSA filing, as of that date, had documented 15 crashes.
Tesla's Automated Driving System reports cover Austin from July 2025 through March 2026. Both injuries in the record came in the program's first month.
In one July 2025 incident, a teleoperator drove the vehicle up a curb and into a metal fence at 8 mph. The safety monitor was injured but not hospitalized. In another, the vehicle was rear-ended while stopped in a right-turn slip lane; that monitor later sought hospital evaluation, the most serious injury on record.
Elon Musk said in his opening remarks that the team had "not had a single one to date," referring to accidents or injuries. Musk did not cite the NHTSA filing; the claim was freestanding. He signed the Q1 2026 10-Q the same day.
On the record
April 22, 2026, Q1 2026 earnings call (Ashok Elluswamy): "So far we have zero incidents, and that's what NHTSA filing also shows."
April 22, 2026, Tesla Q1 2026 10-Q, Legal Proceedings (Morand v. Tesla, 1:25-cv-01213, W.D. Tex.): The case is pending, alleging material misrepresentations about Autopilot, Full Self-Driving, and Robotaxi. Tesla filed a motion to dismiss on April 20. The company states it "cannot predict the outcome or impact" and is "unable to reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss, if any."
Between April 22 and May 15, Tesla filed two additional incident reports with NHTSA, bringing the database total from 15 to 17. Tesla simultaneously removed narrative redactions from all 17 filings; the crash accounts became publicly readable for the first time.
Citing the NHTSA filing by name converts the claim from a PR assertion to a factual statement the federal record now contradicts. The motion to dismiss Morand v. Tesla was already on the docket when that citation entered the investor record.
Lead plaintiffs must file their opposition by June 22, 2026. The April 22 call transcript is now part of the record they can draw from.