San Francisco police are investigating a crash involving a self-driving vehicle operated by Zoox, after the robotaxi struck the driver’s-side door of a parked car in the city’s Mission District last month, according to authorities and company statements.
The San Francisco Police Department said officers responded to the collision at around 2 p.m. local time on Jan. 17 near the intersection of 15th and Mission Streets. The Zoox vehicle was travelling along 15th Street when a street ambassador, identified by local outlet Mission Local as Jamel Durden, opened the driver’s-side door of his parked 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille into the path of the robotaxi.
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Durden’s hand was injured in the collision, while the Zoox vehicle sustained damage to its glass doors, police said. The robotaxi was carrying a passenger at the time of the crash, which Zoox later confirmed was a company employee. The passenger was not injured, according to both Zoox and police.
The police department said it could not release an incident report while the investigation remains open. Zoox said it filed its own police report and is cooperating with authorities. “Safety and transparency are foundational to Zoox, and we are cooperating with local authorities to provide an accurate account of the incident,” the company said in a statement issued on Jan. 20.
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Zoox said the vehicle detected the opening door and attempted to avoid it, but that contact was unavoidable. The company added that it offered medical assistance to Durden, which he declined, according to local reporting.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles, which regulates autonomous vehicle testing and deployment in the state, said it has met with Zoox regarding the crash and that the company submitted a report in line with California regulations. That report has not yet been made public.
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The incident comes as Zoox expands its robotaxi operations. In November, the Amazon-owned company began offering free rides to members of the public enrolled in its “Zoox Explorer” early-rider programme in San Francisco, following a similar rollout in Las Vegas.
The expansion has not been without issues. Zoox issued a recall in December to address a software problem that caused some vehicles to cross centre lines and block crosswalks. The company had also released two other software updates earlier in 2025 as part of separate recalls before launching public rides.