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auto-pilot malfunction (accelerated behind another car causing crash)

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I know there has been recent news this week about apparent malfunctions in auto-pilot mode. I know it's not super clear cut, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences. My model S in auto-pilot mode actually accelerated while driving behind another car, causing a collision. Anyone else?
maybe this is true (not likely), were you able to assume immediate control?
 
This isn't a "troll." I have a letter from Tesla - of course it says it's my fault, but Tesla is not going to write a letter saying it's their fault. The letter I have mentions data, but they did not give me actual data. The acceleration of the Tesla was extreme. The car in front of me did switch over somewhat quickly, but it wasn't incredibly close to me or anything. The reason for the collision was the rate of the acceleration of the Model S on Auto-Pilot. Tesla has actually been fairly unresponsive to me. Does anyone have suggestions for getting actual data from the "black box"? Has anyone managed to obtain this for their own incidents?
 
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The OP has 2 posts. I'm calling BS on this "short seller". For the sake of the legitimacy of this community, post some pics, a police report etc. otherwise it's someone trying to create quotes to be used in headlines to generate negative PR and potential have a bearish trade (short sale, long put, short call etc)
For those wanting a painful reminder that these things go on....
Chicago Tylenol murders - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I'll be more than happy to delete my post and apologize if the OP can provide more evidence than just what was written. Until then, this smells like the cow barn BIG TIME!
I don't own any Tesla stock. I had no reason to come check out this forum until this happened to me and decided to see if it happened to anyone else. I don't want to give away my actual id on the internet, for what I hope are obvious reasons, but I'll look to see if there's any documentation I can post that isn't too revealing.
 
I know there has been recent news this week about apparent malfunctions in auto-pilot mode. I know it's not super clear cut, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences. My model S in auto-pilot mode actually accelerated while driving behind another car, causing a collision. Anyone else?
Some people have requested additional evidence. My only intention here is to find others with similar experiences of auto-pilot aggressively accelerating - especially in the context of another car cutting over / some other obstacle appearing in front of the vehicle. If you've ever gotten a letter from Tesla about auto-pilot, I'm assuming you recognize this.
 

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Slightly off topic, but do we have to have AP installed on the Model 3? The more I hear, the more I am deeply concerned. I like to drive my cars and be 100% in control, especially if AP can misinterpret what is going on and launch me and my family into the back of another vehicle.
 
Slightly off topic, but do we have to have AP installed on the Model 3? The more I hear, the more I am deeply concerned. I like to drive my cars and be 100% in control, especially if AP can misinterpret what is going on and launch me and my family into the back of another vehicle.
I wouldn't be concerned about this report. The TACC accelerates very slowly only if a gap opens up ahead and you are going less than the set speed. No one else has reported "aggressive acceleration" under any conditions.
In this report, the other car cut in front and the driver was unable to slow down in time. Operator error (by both drivers).
 
In February - I have asked repeatedly for log data, and Tesla refuses to give it to me.

Brings up the question: Who owns the log data in a car you own? The owner or the manufacturer? If that data is stored in the car, it's clearly yours; if the data is only transmitted by the car to the cloud and never stored, Tesla could make the argument that it's their data... But it must be stored locally for some period of time, even if just momentarily. If there is no connection from the car to the server, the data must cache somewhere. I imagine if there was a request from the insurance companies, an attorney, or a subpoena for the data, they would comply. (I'm not a lawyer.)
 
In February - I have asked repeatedly for log data, and Tesla refuses to give it to me.

How much damage was done? Are you talking to a lawyer? Someday Tesla is going to have to defend AP in court. I know the consensus on this forum is that AP is safe if used as directed. I wonder though if a jury will see it that way. The car is controlling the brakes, acceleration and steering and if there's an accident where a human could not step in in time to save the day - that should be on Tesla.

How fast does Tesla expect a human to respond? 100 ms? 500 ms? These are short time periods but a lot can go bad in a half-second, and a human can't be expected to respond that fast. And some humans have faster reflexes than others. What if you are 70 years old and your reflexes are not as good as they used to be? Are you still responsible? Again I know the forum consensus, but its going to be a jury of people who don't drive a Tesla making the call.

I hope somebody gets this settled in court BEFORE somebody dies. But I'm afraid its going to take a death to get it ironed out.

In case anybody wonders what I want as the final resolution - I think Tesla should install AP 2.0 on all current AP equipped cars as soon as its available, as lives will be at stake, and AP 2.0 will be dramatically safer than the dangerous AP we have now. My opinion, of course. I've sent two dashcam videos to Tesla showing my car diving into the lane next to me when that lane was occupied by another vehicle. Tesla's response is just "yes, well its Beta, you have to have your hands on the wheel and be ready to take control at any moment". And believe me, I take them seriously after what I've seen in my car.

And last, why doesn't Tesla put this on their website where they are selling the car: "In AP mode you must keep your hands on the wheel and be ready to take over at any moment." ?? Its the truth! But you don't know it from looking at their website when you're buying the car? Come on Tesla!! This is an easy one!! Show us you're not GM !!!
 
In February - I have asked repeatedly for log data, and Tesla refuses to give it to me.
Hi Michael:

Sorry to hear about your incident, and I'll also apologize for the reactions of some of the responders here. Please don't judge the entirety of the Tesla community by this unfortunate sample.

Can't say if this is will be a productive path or not, but if I were in your shoes, the person I would contact is Jason Hughes. He knows more about Tesla computer innards than almost anyone not employed by Tesla. His public email address is: [email protected]

Good luck!
 
Hi Michael:

Sorry to hear about your incident, and I'll also apologize for the reactions of some of the responders here. Please don't judge the entirety of the Tesla community by this unfortunate sample.

Can't say if this is will be a productive path or not, but if I were in your shoes, the person I would contact is Jason Hughes. He knows more about Tesla computer innards than almost anyone not employed by Tesla. His public email address is: [email protected]

Good luck!
Thanks, Solar. I appreciate it!
 
Slightly off topic (again), but it has got me thinking :)

With regard to the data that is collected, let's say that I was blasting along at 150mph in a 70mph on a deserted motorway in the UK late at night. Would Tesla grass me up to the authorities for that, or do we have assurances of client confidentiality no matter what? Otherwise we could all be driving around in cars that if you go slightly (or way) over the limit, it would drop you right in it.
 
...2) there is or was a setting somewhere on the driver assistance tab titled something like "passing acceleration" i.e. when you are in TACC mode and the car thinks you are trying to pass someone, it will momentary accelerate (maybe even above your set speed) in order to pass, and then slow down. If your car actually accelerated when another car was crossing in from of you AND passing acceleration was turned on, then I can see how you might feel out of control as the car accelerated. I turned that option off long ago, mostly for electric efficiency, but I do recall not at all liking how the car accelerated without any input from me. I'd like to suggest most if not all of us turn it off, except when you specifically want it.
The feature is called "Overtake Acceleration." My car has never had such a setting.
 
Either you stepped on the brakes or, instead, the accelerator. 'Intense' acceleration pretty much implies intense use of the accelerator.

Show us some photos of the wreck please.
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There is a long sad history in the auto industry of people claiming "unintended acceleration" due to faulty engine programming or operation. Audi, Toyota and many others have had this claim made against them. After extensive investigation, all of these claims have been found to be false. They are usually due to "operator error". Mostly due to people hitting the accelerator rather than the brake. Some have been found to be compounded by cockpit problems such as car mats shifted out of position or, in the case of Audi, having narrow spacing between the brake and accelerator.
Most of these investigations have taken a lot of time and effort since there was no record of what actually happened. With Tesla, it is much easier since the car keeps a log of events and it is easy to see what exactly happened. In this case, Tesla says the log did not show any anomalous behavior on the part of the car.
It would be nice if there was a way for customers to get access to their car long without resorting to lawyers, etc. and I think that this is something Tesla should consider. Since it is likely to require effort and specialized knowledge to understand the log data, there would probably need to be some kind of "interpretation" fee associated with the log retrieval but this would be worthwhile in the rare event of a crash.