Tesla Autopilot · Last checked 12 September 2026

Has Tesla Autopilot killed anyone?

Yes. As of 12 September 2026, courts, coroners or official investigators have found that Tesla's Autopilot caused or contributed to 4 deaths. A further 6 deaths are alleged in lawsuits, investigations or credible reporting but not proven.

4 deaths officially found to have been caused or contributed to by AI, by a court, coroner or government investigation.

6 more alleged in lawsuits, investigations and credible reporting, but not proven.

Every case

Tesla's Autopilot driver-assist system (Autosteer with Traffic-Aware Cruise Control). Full Self-Driving has its own page. Confirmed cases first, then alleged, newest first.

  1. confirmed 25 April 2019 · United States

    Naibel Benavides Leon, 22, Florida: jury found Tesla's Autopilot partly responsible for her death

    1 death · Tesla Autopilot, 2019 Model S · Finding: US District Court for the Southern District of Florida (jury), Benavides v. Tesla, No. 1:21-cv-21940, 2025

  2. confirmed 1 March 2019 · United States

    Jeremy Banner, 50, Florida: Tesla on Autopilot drove under a crossing truck

    1 death · Tesla Autopilot (Traffic-Aware Cruise Control + Autosteer), 2018 Model 3 · Finding: US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Highway Accident Brief NTSB/HAB-20/01, 2020

  3. confirmed 23 March 2018 · United States

    Walter Huang, 38, California: Tesla Autopilot steered his car into a highway barrier

    1 death · Tesla Autopilot (Traffic-Aware Cruise Control + Autosteer), 2017 Model X P100D · Finding: US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), report NTSB/HAR-20/01, 2020

  4. confirmed 7 May 2016 · United States

    Joshua Brown, 40, Florida: Tesla on Autopilot drove under a crossing truck

    1 death · Tesla Autopilot (first generation: Traffic-Aware Cruise Control + Autosteer), 2015 Model S 70D · Finding: US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), report NTSB/HAR-17/02, 2017

  5. alleged 18 February 2023 · United States

    Genesis Mendoza Martinez, 31, California: family alleged Tesla misrepresented Autopilot

    1 death · Tesla Autopilot, Model S

  6. alleged July 2022 · United States

    Landon Embry, 34, Utah: family alleges Tesla Autopilot failed to detect his motorcycle

    1 death · Tesla Autopilot, Model 3

  7. alleged 29 December 2019 · United States

    Gilberto Alcazar Lopez and Maria Guadalupe Nieves-Lopez, California: families alleged Autopilot contributed

    2 deaths · Tesla Autopilot (Autosteer + Traffic-Aware Cruise Control), Model S

  8. alleged 24 August 2019 · United States

    Jovani Maldonado, 15, California: family alleged Tesla Autopilot defects in fatal crash

    1 death · Tesla Autopilot, Model 3

  9. alleged 20 January 2016 · China

    Gao Yaning, 23, China: family alleges Tesla Autopilot contributed to fatal crash

    1 death · Tesla Autopilot (first generation), Model S

Questions

Has Tesla Autopilot killed anyone?
Yes. As of 12 September 2026, courts, coroners or official investigators have found that Tesla's Autopilot caused or contributed to 4 deaths. A further 6 deaths are alleged in lawsuits, investigations or credible reporting but not proven.
How many deaths has Tesla Autopilot been linked to?
As of 12 September 2026: 4 deaths officially confirmed and 6 deaths alleged, across 9 cases. Confirmed means a court, coroner, government investigation or regulator has formally found the system caused or contributed to the death. Alleged means it is blamed in a lawsuit, an official complaint, an open investigation or credible reporting, but that hasn't been proven.
Where do these numbers come from?
Every case links to its sources: court records, official investigation reports and reporting by established news organisations. The record is checked against the news every day, and each change must pass source and accuracy checks before it is published.

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