Do Some V11 Issues Warrant NHTSHA Reporting? Here's How to Do It.

[astrobill]

All:

There's been ample discussion of all the nutty, poor decisions Tesla made in pushing the "V11" update out to all Model 3 and Y vehicles. A few of them are pretty clearly safety issues.

Most obviously, the fact that Tesla forces drivers to navigate into the climate control menus on the in-car screen to activate *windshield de-icing and defrosting* in the middle of a snowstorm seems like a terrible move. The fact they don't allow you to add de-icing/defrosting back into one of the limited customizable slots at the bottom center of the screen compounds the bad decision they made here.

Similarly, it's been discussed on these forums how the removal of simple "+" and "-" buttons for climate fan and temperature control is nonsensical, forcing drivers to carefully drag their fingers along a one- or two-pixel thick slider line is just insane, and distracts people while driving.

The same could be said of the seat heater functions and windshield wiper control changes, although these are admittedly not as much of a hazard.

If you've run into safety issues due to any of these idiotic changes Tesla made, for example if you've nearly run off the road while desperately trying to turn on windshield de-icing in a snowstorm, then one should file reports with the NHTSA...it's pretty easy to do online at the following link. Maybe some regulatory pressure will force Tesla to put some automotive experienced adult supervision over the script kiddies and gamers they had working on V11 without much oversight (if Tesla's LinkedIn video is any indication, that's exactly what happened).

Report a Safety Problem | NHTSA

File a complaint with NHTSA if you experienced a vehicle, tire, car seat or equipment safety problem that could be a safety defect.

www.nhtsa.gov

R,
Bill

 

[Midnightsun]

You know you could try using the voice commands if you have difficulty with the screen. Just say anything that resembles what you want to accomplish and it usually works well.

Set temp to 75 will do just that

Activate or turn on windshield defroster will do just that.

Turn wipers on

Increase wiper speed

Turn wipers off.

I am sure there are dozens of ways of saying things not to mention controlling almost everything by voice.

 

[Ogre]

Activate autopilot.

Turn on defrost.

pretty much zero chance of running off the road.

 

[patmurphey]

Even without voice, why is sweeping up with your hand and tapping an icon a "safety" matter as opposed to tapping an icon. RIDICULOUS!

Is the NHTSA going to require a recall of all touch screen operated car features that are prevalent across the industry?

 

[NeverGoingBack]

The little “+” and “-“ buttons for temp control are still there. Just tap slightly to the left or right of the temperature number. That’s how I do it all the time. It will increase or decrease your temp by 1 degree and then bring up the small menu with slider …. I don’t use the slider, I just keep tapping … one degree at a time. No problem.

 

[ATPMSD]

What is being missed here is that Tesla seems to have forgotten they are building cars and not video games on wheels. Changing to V11, enabling games that can be seen by the driver (which they had to remove), allowing users to change the horn and other sounds (again, had to be removed), etc. are indicative of a company that does not understand drivers.

There are plenty of bugs in the software of these cars that need to be fixed and I for one would like to see them correct issues and stop playing with the display. I think V11 was a dreadful change, and while I know some people like it, a large number do not.

As to voice commands, these are meant to allow a driver to make changes without taking their hands off the wheel, but they have never been intended as a primary control in any car I have driven.

 

[mrwug]

There are plenty of bugs in the software of these cars that need to be fixed and I for one would like to see them correct issues and stop playing with the display.

One thing to keep in mind is that calling for NHTSA recalls to prioritize such "safety" issues means that all other features (potentially ones that are more irritating) get deprioritized. Also, I'd be surprised if the compliance obligations associated with a recall didn't slow down development of new features and/or bug fixes.

 

[thesmokingman]

This is thread is bad form.

 

[astrobill]

You know you could try using the voice commands if you have difficulty with the screen. Just say anything that resembles what you want to accomplish and it usually works well.

Actually, voice commands often don't work properly. In fact, even if one assumes they always work in a Tesla (which they don't) voice commands require you to be in a cell service area and have connectivity, otherwise one just gets the "no connectivity" error message and the voice command goes nowhere. And we all know our Teslas *never* lose connectivity, right? Especially during heavy precipitation periods when signal levels from cell towers can decrease noticeably? ;^) So...yeah...nice try, but no.

Activate autopilot.
Turn on defrost.
pretty much zero chance of running off the road.

I presume you're referring to the "Autosteer" feature lane-keeping assistance for those of us without the comically-named "full self driving" option? In any case, that's absolute buggy cr*p in our cars, and if there's EVER a time when I'm DEFINITELY not just trusting it while flipping through menus to find the newly-moved windshield de-icing control, it's during an ice storm. LOL. I mean, even in dry, clear, sunny weather the lane-keeping assistance in my Model Y tries to kill me on a weekly basis. Please. That's not even a nice try...pretty much high chance of running off the road even without being in an ice storm. LOL

Even without voice, why is sweeping up with your hand and tapping an icon a "safety" matter as opposed to tapping an icon. RIDICULOUS!

Because it requires you to look at the screen for an extended period through at least multiple taps while driving during an ice storm, much worse when compared to a single icon placed where it's been for years since one has owned the vehicle.

And if it's "RIDICULOUS" as you farcically put it, then why are literally 100s of people on here complaining loudly about this very issue -- including MANY who have also said it's a safety issue -- since the insanely-bad V11 update, which has a 77% unfavorability vote in the v11 poll someone started on here? LOLOL

Fanbois are all so comical. Go read the threads....over 75% of Tesla owners agree the V11 update is utter cr*p that made our cars less safe.

 

[Yelobird]

Actually, voice commands often don't work properly. In fact, even if one assumes they always work in a Tesla (which they don't) voice commands require you to be in a cell service area and have connectivity, otherwise one just gets the "no connectivity" error message and the voice command goes nowhere. And we all know our Teslas *never* lose connectivity, right? Especially during heavy precipitation periods when signal levels from cell towers can decrease noticeably? ;^) So...yeah...nice try, but no.

I presume you're referring to the "Autosteer" feature lane-keeping assistance for those of us without the comically-named "full self driving" option? In any case, that's absolute buggy cr*p in our cars, and if there's EVER a time when I'm DEFINITELY not just trusting it while flipping through menus to find the newly-moved windshield de-icing control, it's during an ice storm. LOL. I mean, even in dry, clear, sunny weather the lane-keeping assistance in my Model Y tries to kill me on a weekly basis. Please. That's not even a nice try...pretty much high chance of running off the road even without being in an ice storm. LOL


Because it requires you to look at the screen for an extended period through at least multiple taps while driving during an ice storm, much worse when compared to a single icon placed where it's been for years since one has owned the vehicle.

And if it's "RIDICULOUS" as you farcically put it, then why are literally 100s of people on here complaining loudly about this very issue -- including MANY who have also said it's a safety issue -- since the insanely-bad V11 update, which has a 77% unfavorability vote in the v11 poll someone started on here? LOLOL

Fanbois are all so comical. Go read the threads....over 75% of Tesla owners agree the V11 update is utter cr*p that made our cars less safe.

Lol. The fact that you feel validated by a forum Complaint thread for your 75% commitment proves you have no clue. In turn I would counter with, the thread shows a few hundred don’t like some of the changes while a few MILLION have no issue!

 

[Midnightsun]

Actually, voice commands often don't work properly. In fact, even if one assumes they always work in a Tesla (which they don't) voice commands require you to be in a cell service area and have connectivity, otherwise one just gets the "no connectivity" error message and the voice command goes nowhere. And we all know our Teslas *never* lose connectivity, right? Especially during heavy precipitation periods when signal levels from cell towers can decrease noticeably? ;^) So...yeah...nice try, but no.

Odd, I have been driving the Y since summer of 2020 and recently got the S last December. Never have I ever lost a connection. Rain storms, some pretty serious zero visibility snow storms, -38c temps, you name it. I will admit I have never been farther than a 300 mile radius from my home though.

Not that I know how it works, but why in the world do you need cell connectivity for a voice command in the vehicle? Just sounds really prehistoric to send a command to a cell tower from the car only to bounce it back to the car. What am I missing? As far as I know, connectivity is for streaming and live maps, nothing more.

 

[Ogre]

I presume you're referring to the "Autosteer" feature lane-keeping assistance for those of us without the comically-named "full self driving" option? In any case, that's absolute buggy cr*p in our cars, and if there's EVER a time when I'm DEFINITELY not just trusting it while flipping through menus to find the newly-moved windshield de-icing control, it's during an ice storm. LOL. I mean, even in dry, clear, sunny weather the lane-keeping assistance in my Model Y tries to kill me on a weekly basis. Please. That's not even a nice try...pretty much high chance of running off the road even without being in an ice storm. LOL

Sometimes I read about other peoples experience with Autopilot and I seriously think it’s an entirely different thing.

It is one of my favorite features of the car, I use it in rain and snow quite frequently. It also seems to be one that some people have greatly different experience with.

 

[ncsmith4]

I reported to NHTSA too.

 

[Boza]

Sometimes I read about other peoples experience with Autopilot and I seriously think it’s an entirely different thing.

It is one of my favorite features of the car, I use it in rain and snow quite frequently. It also seems to be one that some people have greatly different experience with.

FSD does not have a problem driving with the speed limit when the road is covered with ice/snow and it will be happy to hydroplane you in heavy rain. Similarly, it does not see small enough obstacles that are perfectly capable of causing damage or accident.

At best, FSD is a driver-assist feature, not something that one could trust in bad weather. The fact that it forces you to pay attention to the road at all the times means that you should not distract yourself by fumbling with the UI.

As for the voice commands - as dumb as it sounds, the speech recognition happens in the cloud; hence, the need for network connectivity. Dumb, because the processing power seems to be reserved for Sonic The Hedgehog.

It has been months and several updates since they forced this horrible UI and there are no indications that they will do something about it - may be even the opposite. I hate to admit it but, unfortunately, it seems that NHTSA is the correct course of action here.

 

[smogne41]

Activate autopilot.

Turn on defrost.

pretty much zero chance of running off the road.

I don't have or want AP, yet V11 still takes away controls I want. I filed a NHTSA complaint over a month ago. Everybody should, Tesla has lost their minds.

 

[patmurphey]

Because it requires you to look at the screen for an extended period through at least multiple taps while driving during an ice storm, much worse when compared to a single icon placed where it's been for years since one has owned the vehicle.

How does sweeping up from the bottom to see the icon (in the same new spot) require you to look at the screen for an extended period of time????

It would make more sense to have defrost on when ice storm risk exists. I've never had one "suddenly" appear in 65 years of driving in northern winters.

This thread (and its premise) is truly bad form.

 

[smogne41]

How does sweeping up from the bottom to see the icon (in the same new spot) require you to look at the screen for an extended period of time????

It would make more sense to have defrost on when ice storm risk exists. I've never had one "suddenly" appear in 65 years of driving in northern winters.

This thread (and its premise) is truly bad form.

This thread is in no way bad form. Tesla has changed our cars in ways we neither want or feel is safe. Tesla also has absolutely no official way to give them feedback, and shows absolutely no signs of addressing these totally legitimate complaints (and has been generally dismissive of them). We absolutely will try all possible avenues available to fix this. If that has to involve safety regulators (because it absolutely is a safety issue), that is absolutely proper.

 

[Ogre]

I don't have or want AP, yet V11 still takes away controls I want. I filed a NHTSA complaint over a month ago. Everybody should, Tesla has lost their minds.

If you own anything but the oldest Tesla, you have Autopilot.

 

[smogne41]

If you own anything but the oldest Tesla, you have Autopilot.

AP did not become standard until April 2019 (the hardware is there but it is a software unlock). Before that you got 'dumb' cruise control standard (which I prefer anyway).

 

[Ogre]

FSD does not have a problem driving with the speed limit when the road is covered with ice/snow and it will be happy to hydroplane you in heavy rain. Similarly, it does not see small enough obstacles that are perfectly capable of causing damage or accident.

You are driving the car.

You set the speed. It’s not any more or less likely to hydroplane than a human driver is. Talking about turning Autopilot on to hold your course while you are making a quick adjustment. Not blindfolding yourself and taking a nap.