NEW YORK - The leading U.S. vehicle safety authority has started a detailed examination after a Tesla vehicle operating with automated driving technology crashed into a residence in Texas at high velocity, fatally injuring a 76-year-old woman inside the structure.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it is beginning a focused review of the Model 3 collision that occurred Friday near Houston. This step carries weight because the vehicle employed systems that Tesla leader Elon Musk views as central to upcoming plans.

Musk is preparing to introduce robotaxis powered by automated software in multiple American cities this year and intends to allow owners nationwide to add their vehicles to the service using identical technology.

According to a police report, the driver informed the Harris County Sheriff's Office that the automated feature was active during the event, though investigators have not yet determined its exact contribution to the outcome.

The same report stated the driver showed no signs of intoxication and is assisting authorities. It named the victim as Martha Avila.

Footage reviewed by KHOU-TV captured the vehicle crossing a front lawn at full speed before striking the brick home in Katy and embedding itself in a front room, surrounded by debris from walls, supports and furnishings.

Tesla has not yet issued a statement on the matter.

The regulator has conducted multiple prior reviews of Tesla vehicles, including one last year examining 58 cases where cars using self-driving tools reportedly broke traffic rules, causing over a dozen collisions, fires and nearly two dozen injuries.

Earlier, NHTSA also examined whether Tesla had failed to submit required crash reports in a timely manner.

Over the past ten years the agency has opened 46 special crash probes involving Tesla vehicles equipped with self-driving or driver-assistance features. More than a dozen of those incidents resulted in at least one fatality among drivers, passengers or pedestrians.

Tesla shares dropped sharply early last year amid falling sales tied to a consumer backlash against Musk following his involvement in politics and leadership of a government efficiency effort under President Donald Trump, along with support for certain European political figures.

Musk has since redirected attention toward artificial intelligence and robotaxis, a shift that has lifted the stock 16 percent over the past twelve months.