A gray Tesla crashed into the 99 Ranch grocery store on North Wolfe Road in Cupertino at about 3:18 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Santa Clara County officials. The impact left an older adult woman injured and tore into the brickwork and windows at the front of the store.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department responded to the scene and provided medical assistance to the woman, who was then taken to a hospital, according to KRON4. Fire officials said the structure sustained damage to the brick and windows where the vehicle struck the front of the building. The store sits near Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, and the city has another 99 Ranch location on De Anza Boulevard.
Self-Driving Mode Remains Unconfirmed
Santa Clara County fire officials said they were unable to determine whether the Tesla was in self-driving mode at the time of the crash, per the station's report. No further detail on the vehicle's operating mode, the driver, or the cause of the collision has been released.
The crash adds to a string of 2026 incidents involving vehicles striking Bay Area and Southern California businesses, though no broader pattern has been established. In Santa Rosa, seven people were injured when a car crashed into the Oliver's Market grocery store at 560 Montecito Boulevard, according to NBC Bay Area. Four of those hurt suffered moderate to major injuries and were hospitalized, while three others were treated at the scene, and the outlet reported the vehicle left a significant hole in the storefront that prompted structural engineers to evaluate the building.
Other Tesla Crashes Into Businesses This Year
In Huntington Beach, a black Tesla sedan crashed into the glass storefront of a hair salon near Edinger Avenue and Goldenwest Street, hospitalizing one customer with minor injuries, according to the Los Angeles Times. The driver, described as a man in his 70s, stayed at the scene and cooperated with police. Huntington Beach public affairs manager Jessica Cuchilla said the gas pedal had been mistakenly used instead of the brake and that the vehicle was not in self-driving mode; investigators also said they did not believe intoxication played a role, and the shattered storefront was not deemed structurally unsafe.
A far more serious outcome followed a Tesla crash in Long Beach, where police said a 2026 Tesla traveling west at high speed struck a 2025 Volkswagen around 10:35 p.m. in the 5700 block of Pacific Coast Highway near a Target shopping center, according to CBS Los Angeles. The Tesla's driver, identified as 44-year-old Robert Fairbanks, died after being taken to a hospital, while both occupants of the Volkswagen were also hospitalized. Police said speed and impaired driving appeared to be contributing factors in that collision.
No details have been released on the condition of the woman injured in the Cupertino crash, nor on whether the 99 Ranch store remained open following the damage to its entrance. Santa Clara County officials have not said whether the driver faced any citation or whether an investigation into the cause is ongoing.
