Tesla Fights $1M Crash Lawsuit: Data Shows Autopilot Off Before Impact

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is publicly pushing back against a $1 million lawsuit filed by Houston driver Justine Saint Amour. The legal battle stems from a dramatic highway crash in August 2025, where Saint Amour claims her Cybertruck’s Autopilot system failed, nearly sending her and her infant child over a freeway overpass.

According to the lawsuit filed in Harris County, the vehicle was expected to navigate a curve on the 69 Eastex Freeway but instead headed straight for a concrete barrier. Saint Amour alleges the steering was “unresponsive” during the crisis. The suit seeks damages for herniated discs and nerve damage, while also accusing Tesla’s board of “negligent hiring” regarding Musk’s leadership and his decision to rely on cameras rather than LiDAR sensors.

Musk broke his silence on the case today, March 18, 2026, citing internal vehicle data to shift the blame back to the driver. “Logs show driver disengaged Autopilot four seconds before crashing,” Musk posted on X.

While Saint Amour maintains the technology was at fault, Tesla’s telemetry suggests the manual override occurred well before the impact. The case now moves to court, where the reliability of Tesla’s crash logs will face intense legal scrutiny.