Cybertruck crash and fire reportedly causes first fatality

A Tesla Cybertruck veered off a Texas road and crashed into a culvert, bursting into flames and killing the driver, KHOU 11 Houston reported. It appears to be the first fatality involving Tesla’s new electric pickup and has triggered a probe by the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration), according to Reuters. The driver has not yet been identified.

It’s not clear what caused the accident, but it wasn’t related to Tesla’s Autopilot as the Cybertruck has yet to gain that feature. Video from the scene shows that the vehicle was nearly completely consumed by the fire, which thwarted identification of the vehicle and driver, Texas state troopers said.

The first reported Cybertruck accident happened late last year near Palo Alto, with no injuries and little damage reported. Around 15,000 vehicles have now been sold, so the number of accident reports has ramped up of late. Tesla has issued four recalls for the vehicle, including one that could result in a stuck accelerator pedal.

Since its launch in November 2023, the Cybertruck has been criticized for poor build quality, malfunctions, and weird design decisions like “guillotine” body panels deemed unsafe for children and others. It’s also come under fire for getting stuck easily and not performing well off road, in one case being outclassed by an ancient French Citroën C15.