A Tesla Robotaxi Passenger Says a Tesla Employee Had to Intervene to Stop The Robotaxi From Driving Onto a Railroad as a Train Was Approaching – Adds, “I Still Give the Trip an ‘A’ Grade”

Joe Tagtmayer, an avid Tesla fan and host of a Tesla-centered YouTube channel, reported that his Robotaxi almost drove onto a train track as a train was approaching.

Joe lives in Austin, Texas, and is part of the select few Tesla fans invited by the EV maker to participate in the Robotaxi program.

Joe has completed over 116 Tesla Robotaxi trips, covering more than 380 miles, and his feedback has been mostly positive.

However, during his recent trip, Joe says that his Robotaxi was approaching a train track when the railroad crossing gate lowered, signaling an approaching train.

In this situation, according to Joe, because the Robotaxi didn't notice the crossing gate coming down, it tried to continue driving onto the track even though a train was approaching.

The Tesla safety observer sitting in the passenger seat had to step in to prevent the ‘Robotaxi’ from driving onto the track and causing an accident.

Following the incident, Joe hesitantly shared what happened on X.

He says…

“You know, to be completely honest, there was one incident that I did not get on camera.

We were waiting at a light near a railroad crossing, and as we waited, the train lights came on and the arm started coming down.

The robotaxi did not see that, and the safety observer had to stop the vehicle until the train passed.”

This seems frightening and raises important questions about what might have happened if the safety observer hadn't been there to prevent the Robotaxi from driving onto the train track.

Having said that, Joe doesn’t seem too bothered by the incident and continues…

“I would say that there is some work still needed to polish the software, but otherwise, I think it’s been an amazing opportunity to see how well the expanded service is working.”

As a Tesla fan and investor, Joe believes this is a minor issue; however, the incident has undoubtedly raised some controversy.

One of the most prominent individuals highlighting this incident is Dan O’Dowd. Dan has long been a critic of Tesla, Elon Musk, and specifically FSD.

Dan responded to Joe’s video, writing…

“A Tesla cultist praises the Supervised Tesla 'Robotaxi' just after the supervisor has had to intervene to stop him from getting hit by a train!

Tesla's defective software isn't even feature-complete for its little geofence.

Just another $TSLA pump from Master Scammer Elon Musk.”

This led several Tesla enthusiasts, including Joe Tegtmeyer, to defend the EV manufacturer. Tegtmeyer responded to Dan, suggesting that his criticism of Tesla is solely because he runs a competing software company and fears Tesla's success.

Sad Dan always angry and looking to push a narrative that suits his bruised ego and fear that his company cannot compete … why not be honest about why you spread this extreme negativity to suit your own gain at the expense of others?

I could have not said anything and kept…

— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) July 15, 2025

Joe also made a second video downplaying the railroad incident.

He says…

“There are a couple of things I want to mention. One, I did say that we reached a railroad track crossing (a railroad track in front of an intersection with a red traffic light), the car did stop for the traffic light, so that’s fine.

It’s just that as the traffic light turned green, the red flashing lights for the train crossing started, and the arms began to come down.

The Robotaxi started to proceed, and that’s when the intervention happened. We never went onto the railroad track, and it wasn’t an actual issue.

I think they were just being very cautious and safe, but I understand that some people might see it differently. I wish I had gotten it on video, but at the time, I was uploading something, so I missed that chance.

Still, I believe that’s part of gathering data, gaining experience, and building confidence as Tesla continues to expand the service.”

Joe is saying here that since the Robotaxi didn’t drive onto the train tracks and cause an accident, it’s not a big deal; however, again, the question is what would have happened if the supervisor hadn’t intervened.

After all, the excitement surrounding the Robotaxi service stems from the belief that Tesla is graduating from the supervised FSD trial the EV maker has been running for years.

However, despite this incident, Joe says he rates the Robotaxi drive as excellent, and the issue with the railroad track only drops it from an ‘A+’ to an ‘A’.

Joe says…

“Overall, how would I grade my two extremely long Robotaxi rides today? I’d say the first one was an A, with that caveat, with that railroad track.”

Here is the video I believe Joe is referencing, starting at 1:20: https://t.co/P5aLUWQ3l3

— Brandon Knoblauch (@brandude87) July 15, 2025

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For more information, check out: A Tesla Cybertruck Owner Reports His Screen Froze While He Was Driving – Adds “I Couldn’t See the Blinker or the Speed, and The Music Kept Playing, but I Couldn’t Adjust The Volume”

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.