First Long Drive - autopilot problems

[Durzel]

I have been shown red steering 5 times in 3 days. Four times when I was wearing dark sun glasses.

In the newer cars with IR lights in the rear view mirror assembly I think the cabin camera is used to measure attentiveness using face/eye tracking. It might also be the case for earlier cars, or indeed all 3/Y.

If the car can’t see your eyes due to sunglasses it must think you’re not paying attention and then it no longer gives you the blue pulsing warnings about holding the wheel etc, it goes straight to the red warning and AP disablement.

I’ve read reports where people who have taped over the cabin camera for privacy reasons or whatever always just have red warnings.

That’s my working theory in this.

 

[GAmbler]

If you can’t wear sunglasses whilst driving a car due to the camera monitoring your awareness, that’s the biggest oversight going.

 

[M1tch]

I wore shades all summer and no issues for me - unless it’s a later “feature”

 

[yessuz]

that is not right.

I am considering, actually, to try small black tape on the camera.. to see what it will do )

 

[ChrisSFoot]

I'm on 2022.36.6 and had this 3 times at the weekend on NOA. The last time it happened was directly after me ignoring it's request to do an unnessary lane change (move to the overtaking lane to follow route!?) and I was holding the wheel and looking out of the window like a good boy when it happened so I came to the conclusion that it might be mistaking my deciding that I know which lane the car should be in better than it as me not paying attention!

 

[Durzel]

If you can’t wear sunglasses whilst driving a car due to the camera monitoring your awareness, that’s the biggest oversight going.

I wore shades all summer and no issues for me - unless it’s a later “feature”

I would imagine it depends on the shades and whether the camera can see your eyes or not. I would imagine polarised sunglasses would cause issues.

Again, this is just my working theory based on the fact a relatively recent update said that the cabin camera was now being used for driver attentiveness checks.

 

[yessuz]

I would imagine it depends on the shades and whether the camera can see your eyes or not. I would imagine polarised sunglasses would cause issues.

Again, this is just my working theory based on the fact a relatively recent update said that the cabin camera was now being used for driver attentiveness checks.

so - here's a question - what will happen if the IR camera (the lense above rear view mirror) is covered with tape?

 

[Durzel]

so - here's a question - what will happen if the IR camera (the lense above rear view mirror) is covered with tape?

I would assume that you wouldn't get the blue pulsing warnings about applying torque to the steering wheel, you'd just get a straight "red hands on wheel" and AP disablement. That's a guess though, based on what has been said about this elsewhere.

 

[Dilly]

I had a drive on AP a while back after an update with zero nags. I wondered if the camera had been invoked.
The next drive, I purposefully took my eyes off the road by looking away and nothing happened.

 

[yessuz]

I would assume that you wouldn't get the blue pulsing warnings about applying torque to the steering wheel, you'd just get a straight "red hands on wheel" and AP disablement. That's a guess though, based on what has been said about this elsewhere.

I would be surprised if this would happen.

 

[WllXM]

What about adding a counterweight to the wheel to avoid this?

 

[Peteski]

What about adding a counterweight to the wheel to avoid this?

Some people do that, but it's not recommended. How about just holding the wheel?

 

[yessuz]

What about adding a counterweight to the wheel to avoid this?

I can tell you that it happens with counterweight as well!

I know it from a friend

 

[MylerB]

Are people wearing sunglasses? In cars with the cabin cameras activated I’m pretty sure it checks for your attentiveness. If you are not paying attention, looking down at a phone on your lap or whatever it goes straight to a red warning.

No.

 

[MylerB]

This is from SC when I tried to make an appt for it.

 

[wadood]

I can tell you that it happens with counterweight as well!

I know it from a friend

I suggest asking for Service.
Meanwhile, the only work around I found was to disengage and reengage AP once every 10 minutes. In between wiggling the steering or holding on sometimes works and sometimes it doesn’t.
I have been disconnected 5 times without warning—each time after an interval of 10 minutes while driving on NoA.

 

[wadood]

This is from SC when I tried to make an appt for it.

What did you write in your complaint?

 

[yessuz]

I suggest asking for Service.
Meanwhile, the only work around I found was to disengage and reengage AP once every 10 minutes. In between wiggling the steering or holding on sometimes works and sometimes it doesn’t.
I have been disconnected 5 times without warning—each time after an interval of 10 minutes while driving on NoA.

which actually happens when you change lanes

 

[wadood]

which actually happens when you change lanes

I get that at 10 minute mark — never before 10 minute mark and in the meantime it’d change the lanes, take exits or highway interchanges itself. So, auto lane change doesn’t seem to make any difference.

 

[Roy B]

Schedule a service. There may be something wrong with your camera. I contacted Tesla for the exact same problem and they scheduled a mobile service next week.

Or there may be something wrong with the car computer (in my case I needed a new car computer!).

I have a suspicion that the Tesla Vision stack is pushing the autopilot computer much harder, and a marginal fault that maybe resulted in very occasional computer glitches with the old stack can render it virtually unusable with the current stack.