49ers’ Kyle Shanahan says his car was on autopilot at the time of his recent accident

On Saturday, Kyle Shanahan took questions regarding his recent car accident for the first time since the San Francisco 49ers started training camp. The 49ers’ coach said he is roughly at full strength and plans to coach in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans. 

Shanahan suffered a multitude of injuries from the accident, which occurred on July 14. Among the injuries Shanahan sustained were a concussion, three broken ribs and a broken left hand. Shanahan has cut back on some aspects of his typical coaching duties as he tries to return to full strength. 

“I try not to come in here every single day because I feel like, if I did, I wouldn’t be able to pull off my normal routine, which is watching hours and hours of tape and getting to walk through the night being able to watch stuff after that,” Shanahan said, via ESPN. “Eventually I will get there.”  

Late last month, Shanahan met privately with several reporters to clarify the circumstances of the crash. During that meeting, he stated that he crossed into oncoming traffic, not the 21-year-old driver of the other car. 

On Saturday, Shanahan said he was using the autopilot feature in his Tesla Model S at the time of the accident and that it occurred after he dropped his phone and took his eyes off the road. Shanahan, who said he has been using autopilot in some form for 9 years and is “pretty comfortable” with the function, wasn’t sure whether the accident was the result of a malfunction or whether he had inadvertently turned autopilot off while trying to retrieve his phone. 

“Anytime you cause an accident that can be avoided, you feel pretty stupid, especially when you have a chance to hurt someone else,” Shanahan said. “Who knows what happened when I turned around, whether [autopilot] malfunctioned or whether I knocked it off I don’t know yet. But regardless, it’s always your fault. Whether you’re on autopilot or not, you can’t take your eyes off the road. It’s a partnership, driving, you don’t just turn it over to a computer.”

Shanahan, 46, is entering his 10th season as the 49ers’ coach. Under his watch, the 49ers have compiled an 82-67 regular season record and a 9-5 record in the postseason. The 49ers won NFC titles in 2019 and in 2024. Both of those seasons ended with Super Bowl losses to the Kansas City Chiefs.