Tesla Autopilot Crashes Hit 207 in May 2026, Surpassing Full-Year 2021 Total

According to reports received by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla reported 207 crashes in May 2026 involving its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)—the highest single-month total on record, surpassing the full-year total of 157 incidents reported in 2021. Under NHTSA’s standing General Order, automakers are required to report crashes that meet certain severity thresholds—such as airbag deployment, vehicle tow-away, or injuries/fatalities—if ADAS was engaged within 30 seconds prior to impact. As of the first half of 2026, Tesla has cumulatively reported 3,763 crashes related to its Level 2 driver-assistance systems (including Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, or FSD), accounting for approximately 85% of all industry-reported ADAS-related crashes. The number of reported incidents first exceeded 1,000 in 2025, reaching 1,043. In the first six months of 2026 alone, Tesla reported 826 crashes—a significant increase compared to the same period in each of the past five years (180, 261, 269, 476, and 826, respectively)—representing a 73% year-over-year rise. At this pace, Tesla’s total crash count for 2026 is projected to be roughly double that of 2025. The rising number of crashes is partly attributable to the growing size of Tesla’s fleet and increased mileage driven with FSD enabled. However, Tesla has not disclosed independently audited data on miles driven with Autopilot or FSD. Its quarterly “safety reports” have also been internally questioned by AI training staff for being potentially misleading, making it impossible for outside observers to verify whether the crash rate per mile driven has actually decreased. Moreover, in all 3,763 crash reports submitted, Tesla redacted details in 99.9% of cases, citing trade secret protections. Most reports list crash severity as “unknown,” and software version information is blacked out, preventing public documents from distinguishing whether incidents occurred under Autopilot or FSD mode. By contrast, automakers such as General Motors, Ford, Honda, and Toyota have made virtually no similar redactions in their comparable submissions. Tesla has previously told regulators that disclosing this data would result in “economic harm.” Notably, crash reporting involves a lag, and the latest data shows that the May 2026 figure has already been revised upward by 139 incidents—meaning the reported 207 represents only a preliminary lower-bound estimate. NHTSA is currently conducting a separate investigation into Tesla’s crash reporting practices.