This past Saturday, news broke about a Tesla crashing into a parked tow truck and bursting into flames on a motorway in Moscow, Russia. Particularly notable about the incident was that after the initial crash, explosions racked the already burning electric car.
A number of developments have emerged about the story so far, which clarified initial misconceptions about the incident, from the make of the vehicle to the injuries incurred by its occupants. With this in mind, Teslarati has compiled this quick guide about what is currently known about this crash and its ensuing fiery aftermath.
The crash
A video of the accident taken from what appears to be a security camera showed the electric sedan passing a first stopped vehicle that had broken down and catching the corner of a tow truck that was sticking out into the adjacent lane. In a statement to CrimeRussia, Aleksey Tretyakov, the vehicle’s owner, noted that he had been traveling at 100 km/h, the speed limit in the area. The impact from the collision was enough to push the tow truck forward into the central dividing wall.
A video of the exact moment the Tesla crashed into the tow truck could be viewed below.
The make of the car
Initial reports that emerged following the accident tagged the Tesla as a Model S. With more videos of the crash’s aftermath emerging online, it now appears that the electric car involved in the accident was a Model 3, at least based on the shape of the vehicle’s taillights and headlights.
The fire
Videos of the Tesla on fire and the explosions that followed emerged on the heels of the accident. These clips, which were separate from the footage of the electric car crashing into the parked tow truck, showed a vehicle that was already ablaze. Two explosions could be seen in the videos, which resulted in parts of the electric car flying to the air.
Quite interestingly, the explosion within the vehicle seemed to have happened after the tow truck that the Tesla crashed into had been moved (the heavy vehicle does not seem to be in the vicinity when the explosions happened). As observed by Tesla Motors Club member KarenRei, the nature of the explosion in the Model 3 looked notably similar to an explosion that happens when an airbag explodes. A video of such an incident could be viewed here.
The injuries
Initial reports of the injuries that resulted from the accident pointed to the driver of the Tesla and his two children being severely injured. Russian media outlet IXBT.com, for one, noted that Tretyakov was in “intensive care” due to the crash. Later reports would prove this to be false. Speaking with CrimeRussia, the Tesla owner noted that both of his legs were broken due to the accident, but his two children were “practically not injured.”
Update: While CrimeRussia noted in its coverage of the incident that the Model 3 driver had two broken legs as a result of the crash, it appears that the news agency misquoted the Tesla owner’s statements. Vladimir Grinshpun, a native Russian speaker, noted in a message to Teslarati that the Tesla owner clearly stated during a video interview with the news agency that he had one broken leg and a broken nose due to the accident. A video of this interview could be accessed here.
A video depicting what appeared to be Tretyakov hobbling away from his vehicle as his two children walked ahead of him has also been aired on Russian media outlet Russia 24.
On Autopilot
Being a Tesla crash, it was not surprising to note that several reports promptly related the crash to the potential use of Autopilot. Discussing the incident, longtime TMC member mongo noted that since Teslas in Russia are imported through a third party, there was likely no Navigate on Autopilot support in the area. Thus, functions of Autopilot would likely be limited to basic features such as lane-keeping.
This was mentioned by Tretyakov himself, who noted that he was using a “driver-assist” feature and a “trimmed” version of Autopilot when the accident happened. The Tesla owner added that he was holding the wheel in the moments leading up to the crash, though he also admitted that he did not notice the parked tow truck on the road. Based on the video of the Tesla’s crash, it appears that either the vehicle or Tretyakov engaged the brakes just before the car hit the parked truck.
Tesla’s statement
Tesla is yet to issue a formal statement about the incident, though the electric car maker has recently published its most recent vehicle accident and fire data. Tesla notes that from 2012 – 2018, “there has been approximately one Tesla vehicle fire for every 170 million miles traveled. By comparison, data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and U.S. Department of Transportation shows that in the United States there is a vehicle fire for every 19 million miles traveled.” It should be noted that Tesla’s data set includes instances of vehicle fires caused by structure fires, arson, and other things unrelated to the vehicle, which account for about 15% of Tesla vehicle fires over this time period.
H/T JPR007 on Twitter.
Elon Musk
Tesla Roadster owners to get “Flying Stunt Mode” and looping track access
Musk says Roadster owners can command the unveiling stunts autonomously, with a Texas looping track.
Elon Musk says owners of the new Tesla Roadster will be able to ask the car to perform the stunts Tesla showed at its unveiling, with the car doing the driving itself. Musk made the comment Saturday in a reply on X to tech blogger Robert Scoble, and he added a promise of a looping track at Tesla’s Texas headquarters.
Scoble had argued that the person in the Roadster is not really driving it. In his description, the driver operates a computer that tells another computer what to do, with steering, braking and acceleration all handled by wire. Musk answered, “True. You will be able to ask the Roadster to perform any of the tricks shown autonomously, as it will be sentient. Also, we will have a wild looping track (crazier even than Hot Wheels) at our Texas HQ where you can test out your Roadster.”
@Scobleizer True.
You will be able to ask the Roadster to perform any of the tricks shown autonomously, as it will be sentient.
Also, we will have a wild looping track (crazier even than Hot Wheels) at our Texas HQ where you can test out your Roadster.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 17, 2026
At the October 15 event outside Waco, the car drove up a curved ramp until it was upside down, flew off on cold gas thrusters, flipped and landed. It also hovered over a Cybercab, Cybertruck, Semi, Model Y and Model 3 while moving. As we noted in our breakdown of the three Roadster configurations, Musk said at the event that the car “literally is just going to puff itself up” to perform the maneuvers whenever an owner wants. Saturday’s reply adds that the car would run them on its own.
Tesla has described some of the hardware that would make that possible. The Roadster uses steer by wire with a yoke, and its cold gas thrusters rely on electric actuators for small adjustments in flight. A fan system under the car creates suction, which Tesla says is strong enough to hold it upside down, a setup we covered in our look at the Roadster’s fan system and thrusters.
Musk did not say when an autonomous stunt feature might arrive, how it would work, or what he means by sentient. He also gave no size, location or opening date for the Texas track. Production is planned for Giga Texas in 2027 or 2028, and Tesla says the car is not approved for public road use. The Rocket version, the one built to fly, is invite only.
The comment follows a week of Musk teasing the event, including his claim that the demo would be a banger, which we covered before the stream. Tesla reports third quarter earnings on October 21, and shareholders can submit and vote on questions through the Say portal until 4 p.m. EDT on October 20, according to our earnings Q&A preview. A question about autonomous Roadster stunts and the Texas track would be a quick way to get specifics from management.
Elon Musk
How to use Grok Bot to block spam calls and texts
Musk told users to ask Grok Bot to scrub their phone numbers from spam lists.
Elon Musk has a new use case for Grok Bot, and it is the spam call. On Thursday he replied to an X user named Arash with a short instruction: “Ask your @Grok @Bot to remove your phone number from spam call & text lists!” Arash had said he got tired of the calls, had an AI bot find his number on listing sites and file removal requests, and packaged the process as a free skill for others.
The skill is called Spam-Call Scrubber, which is described to find a phone number on people search sites and data brokers, submits the opt outs, completes the confirmation emails those sites send back, and rechecks on a schedule the user picks. Using it requires the Grok Bot app. The pitch is time saved, since most broker opt outs sit behind separate forms on separate sites.
Ask your @Grok @Bot to remove your phone number from spam call & text lists!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2026
Musk said Grok Bot now gives each bot its own email address, and that it can detect scam emails. On Thursday he also said SpaceX would make users whole if the bot botches a purchase or leaks a card, then told users to shop away from Amazon after the retailer blocked the agent, as Teslarati reported. The terms of service we reviewed at the time put responsibility for what an agent does on the user.
For Tesla owners, Grok Bot is not just a phone app. Tesla brought Grok Bot into its vehicles on September 22, and we argued earlier this week that the Cybercab’s real advantage may be the errands it runs during a ride. Every Cybercab and the rest of the Model Y Robotaxi fleet has it enabled. The more routine tasks like this one become, the more a rider has reason to hand over something personal in the back seat.
The new Spam-Call Scrubber skill can be downloaded for free and works on sites that honor removal requests, while noting that listings can reappear, and illegal robocallers do not check any registry. Whether Spam-Call Scrubber cuts anyone’s call volume is something the first wave of users will find out, and Musk’s endorsement guarantees that wave is coming.
Investor's Corner
Tesla’s flying Roadster just revealed something bigger than the car
Analysts say the Roadster demo puts a Tesla and SpaceX merger back on the table.
The Roadster unveiling near Waco ended Thursday night, and by Friday morning much of the investor reaction had less to do with the car than with who owns the rocket technology inside it.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said the event “puts the Tesla/SpaceX relationship on the table in a tangible way,” pointing to the propulsion, pressure vessel and control hardware sitting on a Tesla product. Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management called the demo “a ridiculous display of engineering” with “no commercial value” beyond embarrassing traditional automakers, though he said it showed Musk wants the two companies together.
The more specific forecast came a day earlier from Barclays. Analyst Dan Levy told clients a deal could be announced before Tesla’s annual meeting, which must happen by December 6, and that an announcement in late October or early November could make shareholder approval harder. Barclays expects SpaceX to be the buyer in an all stock deal, with Tesla holders receiving SpaceX shares at a premium, based on market values of roughly $2.1 trillion for SpaceX and $1.5 trillion for Tesla. If nothing lands around the meeting, the bank still sees an announcement within 6 to 12 months.
The Roadster demo just added more weight to merger speculations. Tesla’s demo used cold gas thrusters and pressure tanks of the kind SpaceX uses on Falcon 9, and Musk described the car as a collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX engineers, as we mentioned in our breakdown of the three Roadster configurations.
Musk has not publicly addressed a deal since the event, as far as we have seen. His most direct answer remains the one he gave at the All In Summit, when he said that with so much collaboration, “who can imagine what action one might take” without ruling anything out. Ives has held to a 2027 timeline since his March note, and Musk pushed back on the China piece of the speculation when ARK floated a year end announcement in August.
The next test is Tesla’s third quarter earnings call on October 21. However, we recall in July that Musk told analysts, “we can’t talk about combining companies and that kind of thing on an earnings call,” so a clear answer wouldn’t be expected.
Tesla Roadster owners to get “Flying Stunt Mode” and looping track access
How to use Grok Bot to block spam calls and texts
Tesla’s flying Roadster just revealed something bigger than the car
SpaceX reveals how its 1 Million AI satellite network will work and prevent space collisions
Elon Musk’s Boring Company lands a new Middle East deal, and Nashville is about to get faster
