15 Car Brands Whose Self-Driving Vehicles Crash Most Often

While semi-autonomous cars have been around for some time, their adoption is still in its early stages. Technology continues to develop, but there is also increased scrutiny and challenges regarding safety, regulation, and public perception.

Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and our own FinanceBuzz study, we've put together 15 semi-autonomous vehicles that have been involved in the most crashes. This way, you can avoid making money mistakes by looking at other cars without safety concerns.

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Crashes: Five

Daimler Trucks North America, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, is hailed as one of the global leaders in autonomous trucking development.

They've currently experienced five crashes, a number that, while not as high as others on the list, can still damage the brand's finances and reputation.

Crashes: Seven

Volkswagen has reported seven crashes involving semi-autonomous cars. While this number sounds low, there are far fewer ADAS-equipped vehicles on the roads than those of Tesla, Honda, and Subaru. Their system is also less aggressive. For example, hands-free driving on highways isn't possible.

The primary costs to VW are liability in the event of a crash, as well as the expenses of repairing and replacing faulty ADAS components.

Crashes: Nine

While not a new entrant in the autonomous vehicle market, Lucid is relatively recent compared to more established automakers. The Lucid Air was first introduced to the public in 2021 and has since been involved in nine crashes.

Most of the incidents involved the system not performing as expected or encountering limitations. While the number of crashes is low, they still have to pay to improve software updates and for the loss of sales if the public or investors lose confidence in their safety and capabilities.

Crashes: 10

Hyundai Motor America has been involved in 10 crashes over the years, although they weren't serious or fatal.

The most significant financial cost is the rising insurance premiums, and recalls or updates add tens of millions of dollars in costs to the company.

Crashes: 12

There have been 12 crashes involving Kia America's autonomous models, although none were reported as serious. The main reasons for these incidents are system limitations, including the HDA disengaging without warning and improper sensor alignment.

Kia recently recalled 2024-2025 EV9 models due to a software error that could cause the instrument panel screen to fail. Recalls and replacements are extremely costly for the brand, and repeated issues can damage consumer trust as well.

Crashes: 13

According to the NHTSA General Order on crash reporting, as of 2025, there have been 13 crashes involving Rivian ADAS-enabled vehicles.

The most serious incident happened in 2023 when driver Alan Ruck stopped at a red light in his R1T, and the truck suddenly accelerated into the vehicle in front. This caused a domino effect, hitting another car and then a pizzeria on Hollywood Boulevard. Other than that, most incidents have been minor, and no fatalities have been recorded.

Crashes: 13

Nissan's autonomous car technology, ProPilot, has been involved in 13 incidents, all of them minor. Some of the main issues reported include ProPilot disengaging without warning in challenging conditions, as well as sensor calibration issues.

In 2024, Nissan had to recall thousands of vehicles due to a defect in the steering wheel; it falsely detected the driver had their hands on the wheel with ProPilot engaged. This was costly both in terms of repair and for their reputation.

Crashes: 13

Mercedes-Benz offers several ADAS features across its lineup, and since being on the roads, they've been involved in 13 crashes.

Some of the incidents involved vehicle towing and insurance claims, both of which meant financial costs for Mercedes-Benz. However, none were very serious. Most crashes stemmed from ADAS disengagements or system limitations rather than complete system failures, so no vehicle recalls were necessary.

Crashes: 21

BMW is actively developing and implementing autonomous driving technologies, and since its roll-out, it has noted 21 crashes. Most incidents have been minor, except for a fatal incident involving a BMW in Germany, where a woman passed and nine others were injured. While initially reported to be caused by a semi-autonomous car, it was said later that the vehicle was not fully autonomous.

In 2023, BMW suffered a further blow when it had to recall several models due to issues with its autonomous driving system, primarily the steering control and integrated braking system.

Crashes: 27

Toyota has been actively developing semi-autonomous technology through in-house development and partnerships with brands such as Waymo. Their crash count is currently at 27. While most were minor, during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, a Totoya e-Palette autonomous vehicle struck and injured a visually impaired athlete.

The financial impact was never disclosed, but such incidents can be costly to a brand's reputation, if nothing else.

Crashes: 28

Ford has reported 28 crashes, with two resulting in passings. In February 2024, a driver using the Ford BlueCruise feature struck the driver of a stationary car. In March of the same year, a driver who had been drinking hit and struck two people.

Fatal crashes can lead to wrongful-death suits, millions worth of payouts, and large insurance and product liability costs.

Crashes: 43

General Motors has been involved in 43 crashes, with many of these incidents overlapping with those of Cruise. One of the leading causes of these incidents was software issues that prevented the vehicles from braking on time.

GM ended up writing off billions in investment and must pay legal claims and insurance hikes, while taxpayers cover the costs of regulatory enforcement.

Crashes: 47

Subaru's EyeSight-equipped vehicles have been involved in 47 reported crashes under driver-assist mode, making it the third among major automakers. Some of the main incidents are due to misidentifying harmless options as hazards, triggering abrupt automatic braking, or issues with sensors, cameras, or related hardware.

One main financial implication for Subaru came from a recall and service campaign following a brake-light switch that disabled automatic engine braking. This impacted over 2.3 million vehicles, and they covered the parts and labor at no cost to the owners.

Crashes: 112

There have been 112 reported accidents involving Honda's semi-autonomous vehicles since their launch, but none have been fatal. They're currently working on a zero-fatality rate in traffic accidents involving their vehicles by 2050.

Following a cease in partnership with GM Cruises and the impact of U.S. tariffs, Honda has seen a 76% plunge in operating profit.

Crashes: 2,093

Tesla has been a key figure in popularizing autonomous vehicle technology, yet it hasn't always hit the headlines for the right reasons. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there have been 2,093 crashes involving semi-autonomous Teslas, with 51 fatalities.

Financially, these incidents have had a big impact on Tesla, and it's expected that their FCF may have a $1.9 billion loss. Combined with recalls, lawsuits, and consumer class actions, their penalty payout could hit hundreds of millions, as well as reputational damage.

Self-driving capabilities and semi-autonomous technology could lead to a safer future and could be smart car owner choices as you consider your next vehicle, but they also present challenges. As regulations tighten and AI advances, accident rates are likely to decline.

However, according to a recent study, 79% of self-driving car crashes are the fault of the human-driven vehicles hitting them rather than the other way around. This suggests that as these cars become more advanced, the biggest safety hurdle is the unpredictability of other drivers rather than the tech itself.