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Retracted · 2026-10-11

Duplicate ingestion of the same event as nhtsa-sgo-13781-15395, the canonical record for "undefined". This duplicate is retracted to suppress it from aggregates; its own URL stays index,follow per the retraction policy.

Incident · Collision · Retracted

Tesla remote operator drove a Robotaxi into a hidden tree stump in Houston while recovering it from a dead-end road (NHTSA SGO 13781-15395)

Original claim shown above is no longer asserted. See the retraction notice for context.

A Tesla Model Y robotaxi was stopped on a dead-end residential road in Houston when a remote assistance operator took control to recover it. While backing out, the operator drove the vehicle down a grassy slope and struck a hidden tree stump at 2 mph.

The crash caused minor property damage with no injuries, no airbag deployment, and no tow. Tesla coded the driver/operator type as 'Remote (Commercial/Test)' in the NHTSA filing - the first time it formally reported a remote operator was in control during a crash. It is the third Tesla robotaxi crash caused by a remote operator.

Occurred 2026-05-15 · Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) at Houston · Tesla · Houston · Robotaxis

How to read this record

Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
Track Tesla remote operator drove a Robotaxi into a hidden tree stump in Houston while recovering it from a dead-end road (NHTSA SGO 13781-15395)

Machine-readable surfaces

Sources (1)

  1. Electrek · https://electrek.co/2026/07/20/tesla-robotaxi-remote-operator-crash-houston/ · 2026-07-20

Status history

  • Retracted · 2026-10-11 · correction:tesla-cleanup-2026-10-11

    Duplicate ingestion of the same event as nhtsa-sgo-13781-15395, the canonical record for "undefined". This duplicate is retracted to suppress it from aggregates; its own URL stays index,follow per the retraction policy.

  • Active · 2026-07-27 · agent:recon

Common questions

What happened in Tesla remote operator drove a Robotaxi into a hidden tree stump in Houston while recovering it from a dead-end road (NHTSA SGO 13781-15395)?
A Tesla Model Y robotaxi was stopped on a dead-end residential road in Houston when a remote assistance operator took control to recover it. While backing out, the operator drove the vehicle down a grassy slope and struck a hidden tree stump at 2 mph. The crash caused minor property damage with no injuries, no airbag deployment, and no tow. Tesla coded the driver/operator type as 'Remote (Commercial/Test)' in the NHTSA filing - the first time it formally reported a remote operator was in control during a crash. It is the third Tesla robotaxi crash caused by a remote operator. This incident was later retracted; see the retraction banner at the top of the page for the correction.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on May 15, 2026 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
What robot was involved in Tesla remote operator drove a Robotaxi into a hidden tree stump in Houston while recovering it from a dead-end road (NHTSA SGO 13781-15395)?
Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) by Tesla is the recorded robot involved in this incident at Houston.
Has anyone responded to Tesla remote operator drove a Robotaxi into a hidden tree stump in Houston while recovering it from a dead-end road (NHTSA SGO 13781-15395)?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Tesla remote operator drove a Robotaxi into a hidden tree stump in Houston while recovering it from a dead-end road (NHTSA SGO 13781-15395)?
This incident is retracted on the DEPLOY registry. The page remains so the correction reaches readers, but the incident is suppressed from aggregate counts (company / model / location) so it no longer counts against anyone.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-10-11

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-10-11

Sources by quality tier

1
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Tesla remote operator drove a Robotaxi into a hidden tree stump in Houston while recovering it from a dead-end road (NHTSA SGO 13781-15395).

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Canonical ID fda8e5c7-d4d5-48b7-a35f-cacc78156caa