Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares are slipping Thursday despite preliminary findings from federal investigators that largely cleared the company’s Full Self-Driving system of responsibility in a fatal Texas crash.
- Tesla stock is under selling pressure. What’s pulling TSLA shares down?
Federal Investigators Point to Driver Error in Fatal Texas Crash
The National Transportation Safety Board published its initial findings Wednesday from a June 19 collision in Katy, Texas, in which a 2025 Tesla Model 3 plowed into a home at speeds exceeding 70 miles per hour along a residential stretch where the posted limit is 30 miles per hour. Martha Avila, a 76-year-old resident of the home, sustained fatal injuries and died at a nearby hospital, according to Reuters.
Data pulled from the vehicle told a clear story: the 44-year-old driver, Michael Butler, had switched on Full Self-Driving before the crash but brought the system’s control to an end by jamming the accelerator pedal to the floor, sending the car surging well beyond any speed the system would have permitted.
The conclusion echoes what Tesla’s vice president of AI software Ashok Elluswamy had already stated publicly on X the prior month, writing that the driver had pushed the accelerator all the way to 100%.
The agency’s preliminary findings land squarely in Tesla’s corner, supporting the company’s longstanding argument that the crash was a product of human intervention rather than a technological failure.
Critical Technical Levels for TSLA to Watch
Tesla is still working uphill from a trend perspective. It is trading 2.1% below the 20‑day SMA, 4.8% below the 50‑day SMA and 6.5% below the 200‑day SMA, which keeps rallies prone to selling. The 20‑day SMA sitting below the 50‑day SMA shows the short‑term trend has not turned back to bullish.
RSI is the clearest momentum read at 45.85, which signals neutral to soft momentum rather than an oversold snapback setup. In plain terms, RSI gauges whether recent buying or selling has become stretched and this level suggests neither side has a clear advantage.
The bigger‑picture backdrop still leans bearish after the April death cross, with the 50‑day SMA moving below the 200‑day SMA. The April swing low remains an important reference point for dip buyers. May marked the most recent swing high, so bulls need a pattern of higher highs and higher lows to argue the trend is shifting.
- Key Resistance: $433.00 — a nearby round‑number zone that can act as overhead supply during rebounds
- Key Support: $380.00 — a nearby round‑number level close to current trade where buyers may try to defend the pullback
TSLA Shares Are Dipping
TSLA Price Action: Tesla shares were down 1.30% at $389.33 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro.
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