Tesla Autopilot Injury Lawyer

A crash involving a Tesla on Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (FSD) brings the same injuries and bills as any serious wreck, plus a harder question: did the car’s own system help cause it? Texas law allows an injured person to pursue the driver, Tesla, or both, depending on what the evidence shows. A Tesla Autopilot injury lawyer can help sort out which path fits.

At Mokaram Injury Lawyers, we handle crash claims across Houston and throughout Texas, and we dig into the technology behind every Autopilot or FSD case we take. Call 281-222-2222 or contact us to schedule a free case review.

What Counts as a Tesla Autopilot Injury Claim in Texas?

A Tesla Autopilot injury claim covers any crash where Autopilot or FSD was active, only partly active (such as cruise control running without steering assist), or had just switched off. Both systems require the driver to watch the road and be ready to take over, so neither makes the car self-driving in a legal sense.

These crashes tend to follow a few recurring patterns:

• Phantom braking: The car brakes hard for a hazard that is not there, which can cause a rear-end collision.
• Missed hazards: The car fails to react to a stalled vehicle, a stopped emergency vehicle, or a person crossing the road.
• Lane departures: A late or missing steering correction lets the car drift out of its lane or off the road.

At its core, this is still a car crash claim, the kind our Houston car accident attorneys handle every day, with an extra layer of vehicle software to investigate.

How Many Accidents Has Tesla Autopilot Caused?

No one has published a complete count. In its closed investigation into Autopilot, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reviewed 956 crashes reported through August 30, 2023, and identified at least 13 involving one or more deaths. NHTSA also found that Autopilot’s driver-engagement controls were too weak for what the system allowed, which led to a software recall covering roughly two million vehicles.

Is Tesla Liable for an Autopilot Accident in Texas?

Yes, Tesla can share liability for an Autopilot crash even when the driver also made a mistake, because Texas divides fault by percentage. Under Section 33.001 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, a claimant who is more than 50% responsible for their own injuries cannot recover damages.

Below that line, Section 33.012 lowers a claimant’s recovery by their own share of fault rather than wiping it out. A jury can assign one share to a distracted driver, another to Tesla, and a smaller one to the injured person. Our guide to being partly at fault for a crash explains how that split works.

Can You Sue Tesla If Autopilot Fails?

Yes. An injured driver, passenger, pedestrian, or other road user can bring a product liability claim against Tesla as the manufacturer when a defect in Autopilot or FSD helped cause the crash. Our product liability team handles these claims, which are separate from any claim against the driver and can proceed alongside it.

In a design defect claim, Section 82.005 requires the injured person to prove, more likely than not, that a safer, economically and technologically feasible alternative design existed and that the defect was a producing cause of the injury, meaning a substantial factor in bringing it about. Other claims focus on what Tesla told drivers, alleging that the Autopilot name and marketing encouraged overreliance or that warnings about the system’s limits were inadequate.

Tesla Autopilot injury litigation depends on technical evidence, so a Tesla Autopilot crash attorney will typically review the event data recorder, the Autopilot and FSD logs, and the software version installed at the time, often with a crash reconstruction specialist. Some of that data may be held by Tesla rather than stored only in the car.

How Long Do I Have to File a Tesla Autopilot Injury Claim in Texas?

In most cases, two years. Section 16.003 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code gives an injured person two years from the date the claim accrues, or legally begins, which is usually the day of the crash. In a fatal crash, the family’s window runs from the date of death. That deadline generally applies to a claim against Tesla as well as the driver.

A claim against Tesla also faces an outer limit, known as a statute of repose. Under Section 16.012, a claim against a manufacturer generally must be filed within 15 years after the defendant sold the product, with narrow exceptions. It can end a claim involving an older vehicle even when the crash was recent.

For a Tesla, that count can be harder to pin down, because Tesla updates Autopilot and FSD software over the air long after a car is sold, and Texas law does not clearly say whether a later update affects which sale date counts.

What Compensation Can You Recover After a Tesla Autopilot Crash?

Depending on the facts, a Tesla Autopilot crash claim can seek:

• Medical expenses: Past bills and the projected cost of future care.
• Lost wages and earning capacity: Income already lost, plus the effect on future earnings.
• Pain, suffering, and physical impairment: The physical and emotional toll, separate from the bills.
• Wrongful death and survival damages: When a crash takes a life, the family may pursue a wrongful death claim, and the estate may seek damages for what the person suffered before death.

Every category on that list needs proof behind it, and Mokaram Injury Lawyers has won an $8 million verdict in a brain injury case and a $3 million verdict in a car accident case. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Why Tesla Crash Victims Choose Mokaram Injury Lawyers

An Autopilot case can turn on data most people never see, and we bring more than 30 years of legal experience to these claims. Our approach rests on three commitments:

• Data-first investigation: We review the vehicle’s logs, footage, and software history and compare the crash to patterns regulators have documented.
• Always available: A live person answers our phones 24/7, and after-hours calls are some of our busiest.
• Family-level attention: We treat the people we represent like family and keep them informed at every step.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tesla Autopilot Claims

Will I Have to Pay Anything Upfront?

No. We handle these cases on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless we win.

What Should I Do After a Tesla Autopilot Crash?

Medical care comes first. If it is safe to do so, taking photos of the scene and getting the other driver’s information can help. Many people also avoid posting about the crash or the car’s Autopilot status until they have spoken with an attorney. Vehicle data can be overwritten over time, so preserving it early often matters more in a Tesla case than in an ordinary wreck.

Does Texas’s Self-Driving Car Law Apply to Autopilot or FSD?

Generally, no. Texas’s automated vehicle law, updated in 2025, covers systems that can drive without human supervision. Because Autopilot and FSD (Supervised) require an attentive driver, the human driver is usually still treated as the operator. Fully driverless vehicles raise different questions, covered in our guide to self-driving car crash claims.

Talk to a Tesla Autopilot Injury Lawyer Today

Being hurt in a crash is hard enough without wondering whether the car, the driver, or both were to blame. Mokaram Injury Lawyers can review the vehicle data, the timeline, and the deadlines that apply to you. Call 281-222-2222 or contact us today for a free case review with a Tesla Autopilot injury lawyer.