Mar. 16, 2026 at 2:37pm
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A woman from Houston, Texas is suing Tesla for $1 million after her Cybertruck, while in self-driving mode, almost drove her and her infant child off a bridge. Justine Saint Amour claims the Cybertruck failed to follow the road at an overpass exit, crashing into a concrete barrier. She tried to deactivate the self-driving mode and take control, but was unable to stop the crash in time.
Why it matters
This lawsuit highlights ongoing concerns about the safety and reliability of Tesla’s self-driving technology, especially in complex driving situations. It also raises questions about Tesla’s marketing claims around the capabilities of its driver-assist features.
The details
According to Saint Amour’s attorney, Bob Hilliard, the Cybertruck “wasn’t going to go right and it wasn’t going to go left, it was going to go straight over the overpass.” Hilliard argues that even an alert driver cannot react quickly enough to take over from the self-driving mode in an emergency situation, and that Tesla’s marketing is misleading about the true self-driving capabilities of its vehicles.
The incident occurred on March 16, 2026.
The players
Justine Saint Amour
A woman from Houston, Texas who is suing Tesla for $1 million after her Cybertruck almost drove her and her infant child off a bridge while in self-driving mode.
Bob Hilliard
The attorney representing Justine Saint Amour in her lawsuit against Tesla.
Tesla
The electric vehicle manufacturer founded by Elon Musk, which is facing the lawsuit over the incident involving Justine Saint Amour’s Cybertruck.
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What they’re saying
“And suddenly, like that, you know, you realize you know this car is going to kill me.”
— Bob Hilliard, Attorney (uniladtech.com)
“Even a very alert driver who allows the truck to drive itself, like it says it can, you know can’t go from passenger to emergency-driver reaction you know in a blink of an eye, and that’s what Tesla expects.”
— Bob Hilliard, Attorney (uniladtech.com)
“It is a driver-assist Tesla, basically cruise control on steroids. Um but the marketing tells the driver that it is fully self driving.”
— Bob Hilliard, Attorney (uniladtech.com)
What’s next
The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether to allow Justine Saint Amour’s lawsuit against Tesla to proceed.
The takeaway
This lawsuit highlights the ongoing safety concerns around Tesla’s self-driving technology and the company’s marketing claims about its capabilities. It underscores the need for greater transparency and regulation around autonomous vehicle features to protect drivers and passengers.
