Avride under NHTSA investigation for self-driving crashes

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which serves as the United States safety regulator, has opened an investigation into Avride, a robotaxi company partnered with Uber. The regulator’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) launched the probe after identifying more than a dozen crashes and one minor injury. In total, the company is under investigation for self-driving crashes, with the federal agency identifying all 16 crashes involving Avride’s autonomous system.

According to the ODI, Avride’s self-driving system has apparently struggled with changing lanes, responding to other vehicles in the same lane, and responding to stationary objects. All of the reported incidents occurred while the vehicles were under the supervision of a safety monitor in the driver’s seat. Avride reported these crashes to the NHTSA as required by the agency’s 2021 Standing General Order on automated driving.

In response to the investigation, Avride stated that it has taken steps to address the issues. “We have implemented targeted technical and operational mitigations to address our findings from each reported incident between December 2025 and March 2026, and have further enhanced overall system capabilities,” the company said. Avride also asserted that its total operations have continued to grow, while the frequency of incidents relative to its mileage has steadily declined over time.

Avride is a subsidiary of Nebius, the Netherlands-based parent company formerly known as Yandex NV, which sold off its Russian business in 2024. Avride struck a partnership with Uber in 2024, and Uber and Nebius later agreed to make strategic investments and other commitments to Avride worth up to $375 million. The federal probe comes as Avride scales its robotaxi operations in Dallas, Texas, and Austin, Texas, where many of the reported crashes occurred.

The investigation arrives amid broader regulatory scrutiny of autonomous vehicle technologies across the United States as companies scale their operations. Avride joins other industry players facing federal safety probes, including Waymo, which is currently being investigated for illegal behavior around school buses and a safety incident in which a robotaxi struck a child.

Why it matters

The United States regulatory probe into Avride, a key robotaxi partner for Uber, highlights the intensifying scrutiny facing autonomous vehicle developers as they scale operations across the country.