Avride's Uber Robotaxi Under Investigation After 16 Crashes in Four Months

Avride's robotaxi, Uber's partner in autonomous vehicles, is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after 16 road accidents in four months of operation in Dallas. It is the first serious investigation of a major player in the driverless taxi market, and it raises big questions about the technology's readiness.

How it started

Avride launched a commercial robotaxi service in Dallas in April 2026. The company positioned its vehicles as a finished product able to compete with traditional taxis. Uber, which has invested billions in autonomous technology, was counting on rapid expansion of the service and a path to profitability.

In the first four months of commercial operation, Avride's robotaxis were involved in 16 road accidents. One of them left a passenger with a minor injury. Set against loud promises of flawless safety for autonomous vehicles, these figures look like a serious failure. On average, that is four crashes a month.

What the regulator criticizes

NHTSA used unusually blunt, harsh language in its official notice. The agency described the vehicles' behavior as "overly confident and insufficiently capable." In practice, this means the cars often initiate maneuvers on the road that they cannot perform safely.

The regulator identified serious systemic problems:

• Misreading the intentions of other road users
• Inadequate risk assessment before maneuvers
• Poor response to unpredictable behavior by pedestrians and drivers
• Weak adaptation to local urban traffic conditions
• Inability to correctly interpret signals and temporary road signs

The vehicles do not handle weather and road conditions as well as experienced drivers. The system cannot anticipate danger quickly enough.

What this means for the industry

Sixteen crashes in four months show that new-generation autonomous vehicles are still far from ready for real city roads. Despite years of development, billions in investment and loud promises, the technology clearly lags behind the marketing.

"The vehicles showed excessive confidence in their abilities," the

NHTSA report says.

The investigation could dramatically change the sector's course. Stricter safety requirements, a freeze on licenses for new tests and a demand to rework the algorithms are possible. Uber and other investors in driverless taxis may face a long haul before regulators approve them. That could push back the timeline for mass deployment of such services by several years.