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Enhanced AutoPilot performance poor recently? (2020 Model3 Ver 2022.28.2)

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Has anyone noticed a significant downgrade in enhanced autopilot performance after recent updates? I have a 2020 Model 3 Performance, and have been using enhanced auto pilot (with navigation) for years on the same route and have not needed to perform any sudden interventions. There were some small interventions but I was able to comfortably correct for autopilot issues as needed. Recently, I ran into some problems I never had before that required immediate disengagement/taking over on my part.

1) While taking an offramp (Navigate on autopilot) where the freeway and the offramp split like a "Y" with no traffic around or ahead of me, the autopilot decided to abort the maneuver after already entering the offramp. It did this by jerking the steering wheel hard to the left to get back onto the freeway, attempting to cross the divider (since we had just passed the "Y" portion of the road taking the off ramp). I had to immediately force it to abort that maneuver and continue taking the offramp. There were no nearby cars at all that would necessitate this kind of abort.

2) While on the freeway with autopilot, there was traffic slowing way ahead of me. So far ahead, that if I was driving myself I could just lift off the accelerator not using the brakes and I would have slowed with a ton of room to spare. However, autopilot decided to hit the brakes so hard that the car jerked forward, and the tires squealed. I've never had the AP brake so hard to cause the tires to squeal before, and I had to press hard on the accelerator to avoid getting rear ended. There was slowing traffic ahead but it was so very comfortably far ahead that it didn't necessitate slamming on the brakes.

3) While on the freeway with autopilot, there was stopped traffic in the other lane to the right of me up ahead, but my lane was still moving. There was a car in my lane ahead of me moving slowly (perhaps 20mph), and my car was also going 20mph so speed was matched for my lane. When I got close to the stopped car (in the other lane), my car braked really aggressively (though didn't squeal the tires) and stopped my car far behind the other car (in the neighboring lane), even though my lane had no obstructions. I had to press the accelerator pretty hard to get it going again (if i let up the accelerator it would stop hard again) until i passed the car in the other lane. Once passed the other car autopilot operated normally again.

I've never had these problems before on the same roads, but only recently noticed that I have to keep taking over for situations the car used to handle just fine. Plus the takeovers I need to do are much more jarring than before. I think I started noticing this within the past 5-12 months? Did anyone else notice autopilot performing poorly all of a sudden?
 
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I’ve been on a road trip in my 2018 Model S using AP on 2022.28.2 (until my battery died, but that’s another story). While I’ve noticed some quirks, possibly caused by the loss of radar, I wouldn’t say it’s a significant downgrade from previous performance. Overall, it still works pretty well.
 
Has anyone noticed a significant downgrade in enhanced autopilot performance after recent updates? I have a 2020 Model 3 Performance, and have been using enhanced auto pilot (with navigation) for years on the same route and have not needed to perform any sudden interventions. There were some small interventions but I was able to comfortably correct for autopilot issues as needed. Recently, I ran into some problems I never had before that required immediate disengagement/taking over on my part.

1) While taking an offramp (Navigate on autopilot) where the freeway and the offramp split like a "Y" with no traffic around or ahead of me, the autopilot decided to abort the maneuver after already entering the offramp. It did this by jerking the steering wheel hard to the left to get back onto the freeway, attempting to cross the divider (since we had just passed the "Y" portion of the road taking the off ramp). I had to immediately force it to abort that maneuver and continue taking the offramp. There were no nearby cars at all that would necessitate this kind of abort.

2) While on the freeway with autopilot, there was traffic slowing way ahead of me. So far ahead, that if I was driving myself I could just lift off the accelerator not using the brakes and I would have slowed with a ton of room to spare. However, autopilot decided to hit the brakes so hard that the car jerked forward, and the tires squealed. I've never had the AP brake so hard to cause the tires to squeal before, and I had to press hard on the accelerator to avoid getting rear ended. There was slowing traffic ahead but it was so very comfortably far ahead that it didn't necessitate slamming on the brakes.

3) While on the freeway with autopilot, there was stopped traffic in the other lane to the right of me up ahead, but my lane was still moving. There was a car in my lane ahead of me moving slowly (perhaps 20mph), and my car was also going 20mph so speed was matched for my lane. When I got close to the stopped car (in the other lane), my car braked really aggressively (though didn't squeal the tires) and stopped my car far behind the other car (in the neighboring lane), even though my lane had no obstructions. I had to press the accelerator pretty hard to get it going again (if i let up the accelerator it would stop hard again) until i passed the car in the other lane. Once passed the other car autopilot operated normally again.

I've never had these problems before on the same roads, but only recently noticed that I have to keep taking over for situations the car used to handle just fine. Plus the takeovers I need to do are much more jarring than before. I think I started noticing this within the past 5-12 months? Did anyone else notice autopilot performing poorly all of a sudden?
Funny you say this...I took a couple 4 hour round trips this past weekend, nearly all highway driving using EAP/NoAP, and I was kinda wondering the same thing. As crazy and inconsistent as FSDb can be, I've always said that EAP/highway driving was rock solid, or at least predictable in what it does well and what it does, uh, not so well. But, I found myself frustrated several times on these trips. Two things in particular stuck out:
  1. My M3 totally freaked out regarding a vehicle parked on the shoulder. Granted, the shoulder was pretty tight and he was in a less than ideal spot, but he was still clearly off the road and had his four ways flashing. As we got closer, the car sounded the chimes of doom and suddenly slammed the brakes, enough to give everyone in the car an "oh crap" moment as it flung us all forward. I took over immediately and EAP never quit, though I suspect it may have if I'd let it go. I'll bet it's been at least a year since I've had a PB event like this on the highway, so that sucked.
  2. Following distance & acceleration - in heavier traffic, my car allowed huge caps to the cars in front as they sped up. Even after manually accelerating to nudge it along, it still hesitated quite a bit once I let go. Ditto for speed limit changes - it was still quick to slow down, but took its sweet time getting up to speed when it increased (as in, after 5 seconds it had barely increased at all yet). It was pretty puzzling to those behind me, and I can understand why - they probably thought I was cruising like a turtle in the passing lane.
Anyways...on the whole it was still decent, but not to the level that I've come to expect from highway autopilot. Could just be bad luck though...no tech is perfect and stuff happens.
 
It seems like your car-in-the-shoulder situation was similar to my stopped car in a neighboring lane issue. It seems like it is somehow confusing a car in the next lane as being in your current lane? I'm pretty sure i have had this situation before many times and the autopilot never stopped for it, but only more recently it's become a problem.

For the model S owner - i wonder if the Model 3 and Model S AP behaves differently? Also, when you said loss of radar how did you lose your radar?
 
For the model S owner - i wonder if the Model 3 and Model S AP behaves differently? Also, when you said loss of radar how did you lose your radar?
Not to speak for @EVRider-FL but I believe he's talking about the transition to Tesla Vision. When that happened, radar-equipped vehicles (which also include my M3, for the record) stopped using their radar even though the hardware was still present and functional.
 
Not to speak for @EVRider-FL but I believe he's talking about the transition to Tesla Vision. When that happened, radar-equipped vehicles (which also include my M3, for the record) stopped using their radar even though the hardware was still present and functional.

Ahhh I see. I thought Tesla vision was only for the newer cars released without the actual hardware due to parts shortages! Do you know when Model 3s with radar had it switched off? I wonder if that correlates to when I started having problems.
 
Ahhh I see. I thought Tesla vision was only for the newer cars released without the actual hardware due to parts shortages! Do you know when Model 3s with radar had it switched off? I wonder if that correlates to when I started having problems.

Looks like radar was dropped from 3/Y production in May 2021 and from the S/X in February 2022. Although, now that I'm thinking about it, they may have only DISABLED radar for vehicles that were enrolled in FSD Beta (like mine). Those not in the beta (presumably your M3?) should still be using radar at this point in time.

At least, I THINK that's accurate information. It's hard to keep it all straight as time marches on...lol
 

Looks like radar was dropped from 3/Y production in May 2021 and from the S/X in February 2022. Although, now that I'm thinking about it, they may have only DISABLED radar for vehicles that were enrolled in FSD Beta (like mine). Those not in the beta (presumably your M3?) should still be using radar at this point in time.

At least, I THINK that's accurate information. It's hard to keep it all straight as time marches on...lol
Radar was disabled for everyone last month.
 
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Using 2023.7.20: Experienced a near rear-ender when car stopped in front of me, ran a stoplight once; most annoying is creeping start after light change; also, sudden braking on a clear expressway.. Wondered if a full reset would help. Bad idea !! Software rebooted to a much earlier version, with FSD inaccessible: the "Yes" response to the disclaimer is whited out. What to do? Another reset? Wait for an incoming upgrade? Whine to SC?
 
3) While on the freeway with autopilot, there was stopped traffic in the other lane to the right of me up ahead, but my lane was still moving. There was a car in my lane ahead of me moving slowly (perhaps 20mph), and my car was also going 20mph so speed was matched for my lane. When I got close to the stopped car (in the other lane), my car braked really aggressively (though didn't squeal the tires) and stopped my car far behind the other car (in the neighboring lane), even though my lane had no obstructions. I had to press the accelerator pretty hard to get it going again (if i let up the accelerator it would stop hard again) until i passed the car in the other lane. Once passed the other car autopilot operated normally again.
This last one has been a problem for me lately as well. I have put in a service request and they started communicating with me about it today. When it happens, a car on the screen in the adjacent (slower) lane turns black, as if my car has decided that it has decided to switch to it as the lead car to track.. It's very puzzling behavior.
 

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