Neither side seems happy and the solution doesn’t seem like one that both sides could agree on
January 30, 2024 at 08:35
A new report says that few are happy with the latest update Tesla pushed for its Autopilot software. On one side some owners complain that the system is now overly cautious and unusable. On the other side are regulators who want Tesla to go even further.
It was big news back in December when Tesla issued a recall covering some 2 million cars in the USA over Autopilot. While it disagreed with the viewpoint of the NHTSA and could’ve continued to fight the administration, Tesla issued the recall in the “interest of resolving” the matter. As a result, a software update was sent over the air to all affected cars, which increases the number of alerts to drivers when the system detects “misuse” of the Autopilot system.
Those additional alerts are upsetting Tesla users who now feel like the system is overreacting needlessly. “To see the visual nag, it requires you to take your eyes off the road to look at the screen, which itself can cause a nag,” said one owner in the report.
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Read: Tesla Recalling 200,000 EVs Because They’re So Futuristic They Don’t Like Looking Backwards
The recall only came after years of investigation by the NHTSA into Autopilot. The investigation began in June of 2016 after multiple accidents, including fatalities that happened while drivers had Autopilot engaged.
At the same time, Tesla hasn’t once been found to blame for a single Autopilot or Full Self-Driving accident to date. Despite that, the report claims that regulators want Tesla to nerf its semi-autonomous system further but how is unclear.
Speaking about a potential solution, Jennifer Timian, a former chief of the NHTSA’s recall-management division said to The Wall Street Journal: “It doesn’t have to be the best one… It has to take the safety-defect risk down below a reasonable level.”
Regardless of what that solution is, it’s clear that very few parties are happy about the current state of Autopilot. Tesla, for its part, has recently released Full Self-Driving Beta 12.1.2 which many users have praised. The Tesla-centric (and not unbiased) WholeMarsBlog has documented several dashcam videos with this version of the system.