Self-Driving Tesla's Attempted Highway Homicide

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【Summary】A Tesla enthusiast claims that the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature on his Model 3 attempted to veer aggressively and almost caused a crash at highway speed. The incident raises concerns about the safety of Tesla's autonomous driving technology. The incident has been reported to Tesla, highlighting the need for fixes to prevent such occurrences. Authorities are also scrutinizing Tesla's marketing of Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features.

FutureCar Staff Sep 03, 2023 9:17 AM PT

Self-Driving Tesla's Attempted Highway Homicide

During a drive to Montreal, Fred Lambert, editor-in-chief of the electric vehicle blog Electrek, experienced a terrifying incident with Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature. Lambert claims that FSD "tried to kill" him when the vehicle attempted to pass another car. He had to intervene to avoid a potential crash at highway speed.

Lambert described the moment when FSD Beta veered aggressively towards the median strip, but he was able to steer the vehicle back towards the road because he had his hands on the steering wheel. He admitted that it was a scary experience and could have resulted in a collision if he overcorrected.

Unfortunately, Lambert re-engaged FSD and encountered the same error moments later. This time, as he steered back into the left lane, the software once again veered towards the median strip and attempted to drive through an unmarked U-turn intended for emergency vehicles at full speed. Lambert was able to take control in time, but the consequences could have been catastrophic.

Lambert compared this malfunction to a previous issue with Autopilot, where the system would accidentally swerve into exit ramps without warning. He believed that Tesla had fixed this problem, but it seems to have resurfaced with FSD's latest updates. Lambert submitted a bug report to Tesla, urging them to fix the issue.

While Tesla faces investigations from the US Justice Department and scrutiny from authorities regarding the misleading marketing of Autopilot and the use of the term Full-Self Driving, Lambert emphasizes the need for caution when using FSD. He advises users to only use it "as intended" or consider not using it at all.

Overall, this incident raises concerns about the safety of Tesla's autonomous driving technology, highlighting the need for further improvements before it can be considered reliable for public roads.