Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

FSD Beta Experience - Be Careful What You Wish For

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I've been in the FSD Beta since last Christmas. I'm reading many posts from people frustrated they are not on the Beta yet, and others who are on the Beta and complaining about it.

So, I want to give everyone my experiences with FSD Beta, try to make everyone understand what's involved in it, and hopefully dissuade several of you from trying to get into the Beta.

00EE7D8B-DFD2-4E41-B7F2-2D6BCB4E7B10.jpeg


It's a Commitment
----------------------------------
I think many people are excited by the notion of FSD Beta, and watching YouTube videos or Twitter videos of people in FSD Beta thinking it will be easy and smooth. Let me assure you that it's a commitment to be in FSD Beta. It's not easy, and it's not smooth. You are committing to use a system that is far from perfect and agreeing to help improve the system by putting the car through various routes, and reporting problems as they occur. You're not going to be using your car as you did before. If you're not willing to use FSD Beta as much as possible, and thinking you'll only use casually, then I'd suggest it's not for you. Tesla needs data to improve the system. The more data, the faster the system develops. And we, the FSD Beta participants, want the end result in our lifetimes. :) Think of it as an unpaid internship.

It's Stressful
----------------------------------
I read many posts on TMC from people who are stressed over the Safety Score before even getting invited into FSD Beta. They worry about pissing off cars around them as they "drive like grandma" to keep a high score. Once you're in the FSD Beta, your stress level will go up even higher. Now, your car may perform odd maneuvers, suddenly brake, swerve left or right just before a turn, become paralyzed at unprotected turns, turn in a very unnatural or unsmooth way (ie: jerky), etc. You will likely get flashed with high-beams and honked at. Personally, I get those at least twice a week. Occasionally a middle-finger is extended when someone aggressively goes around you and cuts you off. I've even been coal-rolled. You need to have a calm demeanor and understand that you will be pissing people off. I have custom bumper stickers warning people behind me to help ease some of the stress I'm causing them, or at least letting them know they should stay back or go around me.

It's Mentally and Physically Draining
----------------------------------
Gone are the times when your brain goes into autopilot when you're driving, listening to music, or talking on the phone. Instead, you're hyper focused on the drive. I tell my friends that 80-90% of the time FSD Beta drives very well. 10-20% of the time it tries to kill me. :) Because of that, you cannot let your guard down for a moment. Many testers have their foot hovering or ready to engage, as the car could suddenly slow down in the middle of a turn, or approaching a flashing yellow caution sign. It might mistake an angled traffic light that's not meant for your lane and suddenly attempt to run a red light. It could make a sudden lane change, or try to make a turn from the wrong lane. I've had it try to go straight through an intersection while in a right turn-only lane.

Constant Engagement and Disengagement - And Reporting
----------------------------------
You will be engaging the system and disengaging it constantly. Is it getting too close to that parked car? Coming too fast at a speed bump? Did it become paralyzed at a 4-way stop where pedestrians are crossing? Is it in the wrong lane for the exit you need to take, and going to miss it? In many cases you will need to disengage FSD, perform a maneuver yourself and then re-engage FSD - and report it to Tesla. It's also important that you report everything to Tesla so they can improve the system. That can be difficult, if your car just freaked out and you had to disengage FSD and take over instantly to avoid something bad from happening. Your first reaction isn't usually to find and press a little camera button to report it - but you have to get into that habit.

Passengers
----------------------------------
I do most of my FSD Beta driving alone, as the system can really freak out passengers - and in many cases cause motion sickness in those susceptible to it. I've read many posts from people who say their BF/GF or spouse simply will not let them use FSD Beta while they are in the car.

Final Thoughts
----------------------------------
Some people might read the above and think, "I just won't use FSD Beta that much." If you're thinking you'll use FSD Beta a little, perhaps setting aside time to do a small trip with it from time to time, but otherwise driving the car yourself, then I think FSD Beta is not for you. You're committing to help Tesla improve a system, and with limited Beta participants (currently ~60K), your casual attitude towards the program could be negatively affecting it. There may be someone like me who is ready to totally commit to it, but cannot get into the program because someone else took a spot who really doesn't care that much. Also, if you've read all this and thought "Tesla should be paying me to do all this!", then the FSD Beta is not for you.

So be careful what you wish for... FSD Beta is not all fun and games.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Forgive me. We're not talking about a beta for a video game or new version of MacOS. We're talking about a huge, incredible heavy and dangerous vehicle. What testers do or don't do on the Beta can cause real accidents, damage property, or cause injury. As others have said, we signed up for Beta, but other drivers on the road did not. So we must be serious about our commitment to further the technology and be responsible to society at the same time.

It's not something that should be casually entered, but done so with understanding, research, and responsibility. TLDR is not the type of response I'd expect from someone who takes the matter seriously. If the post was legitimately too long for someone to read, they would just move on and not reply at all.
Actually I thought that was a great TLDR. I don’t have beta yet (can’t even get the safety score to show for some reason). But that was my same thought after reading the post from the OP. Maybe I don’t want it. I wanna have fun driving my car.

OP, great summary btw. Thanks.
 
I just got FSD BETA for the cool display. 🤣 I ain’t putting honky stickers on my nice MSP for nobody. I use it only when it suits me and is convenient, plus won’t be bothering other drivers. No commitment, no stress, no mental or physical drain. Just another machine to play with.
 
  • Funny
Reactions: whatthe2
Actually I thought that was a great TLDR. I don’t have beta yet (can’t even get the safety score to show for some reason). But that was my same thought after reading the post from the OP. Maybe I don’t want it. I wanna have fun driving my car.

OP, great summary btw. Thanks.

You can get FSD beta AND have fun driving your car. It's not like the car forces you to use FSD beta all the time. I find that there are certain drives where my mind is not ready for FSD beta testing, and I don't use it. When I do turn it on, I give it my 100% attention. And I'm reporting bugs to Tesla via snapshot button.

I don't think we need to worry about whether we're using FSD beta enough to be worthy testers. Some people might have it and never use it. Tesla will enroll more people based on how much feedback they want or can handle.
 
You can get FSD beta AND have fun driving your car. It's not like the car forces you to use FSD beta all the time. I find that there are certain drives where my mind is not ready for FSD beta testing, and I don't use it. When I do turn it on, I give it my 100% attention. And I'm reporting bugs to Tesla via snapshot button.

I don't think we need to worry about whether we're using FSD beta enough to be worthy testers. Some people might have it and never use it. Tesla will enroll more people based on how much feedback they want or can handle.
Great info thanks. See, now you have me wanting it again. 😜 but without a safety score guess I’m nowhere close
 
I've been in the FSD Beta since last Christmas. I'm reading many posts from people frustrated they are not on the Beta yet, and others who are on the Beta and complaining about it.

So, I want to give everyone my experiences with FSD Beta, try to make everyone understand what's involved in it, and hopefully dissuade several of you from trying to get into the Beta.

It's a Commitment
----------------------------------
I think many people are excited by the notion of FSD Beta, and watching YouTube videos or Twitter videos of people in FSD Beta thinking it will be easy and smooth. Let me assure you that it's a commitment to be in FSD Beta. It's not easy, and it's not smooth. You are committing to use a system that is far from perfect and agreeing to help improve the system by putting the car through various routes, and reporting problems as they occur. You're not going to be using your car as you did before. If you're not willing to use FSD Beta as much as possible, and thinking you'll only use casually, then I'd suggest it's not for you. Tesla needs data to improve the system. The more data, the faster the system develops. And we, the FSD Beta participants, want the end result in our lifetimes. :) Think of it as an unpaid internship.
I do agree with most of what you said after this point, but not this point. You're not contractually obligated to use it at any level of frequency, and there's a lot of gatekeeping implied here (I think that's your intention).

I only use it when driving alone, or for short bursts for example, so maybe 50 - 60 miles a month. I might not as helpful to the overall mission given my limited use compared to some, but ML benefits from broad and wide ranging data sets, not massive repetition of exactly the same ting (which some YouTubers are doing)so it is useful. Given how badly it performs for me, I suspect Tesla is not getting a lot of data from hilly rural areas with narrow roads in really bad shape (Hudson Vally, NY). Aside from that, some people are likely just curious to get an insight as to what your $10,000 (or whatever you paid for 5 years ago) bought you.

Telling people not to apply for it because they might not benefit Tesla seems like a bad start to this conversation. Having been part of many meetups, and in some rather lively discord channels talking about this early on, the consensus among the hard-core owners and testers is it's better if "ordinary folks" don't have access, because they'll see how rudimentary it is and likely complain.

I've worked in the domain of AI/ML for 15 years, mostly for NLP not visual/action and certainly not for driving, but even so it's pretty obvious that Beta for Level 3 "autonomy" is going to last at least another 3 or 4 years, and will likely not get regulatory approval in some regions for perhaps a 5 - 10 years given the level of independent testing that might be required. So perhaps something else you'll want to add is that this participation is going to go on for a long time. Many Tesla owners are likely to sell their cars years before FSD is ever released. That's another topic, but a bit of an elephant in the room.
 
I do agree with most of what you said after this point, but not this point. You're not contractually obligated to use it at any level of frequency, and there's a lot of gatekeeping implied here (I think that's your intention).
Thanks for your reply. Yes, that was my intention. I agree with you that Tesla needs as many data points as possible, in as many locations as possible. My observations are designed to educate people a little, and make them think twice before requesting FSD Beta.

We do not know how many people Tesla will invite into the FSD Beta. Elon has implied that there is no limit to the numbers that will be invited, but historically his comments don't always turn out to be true. We know that there was a large block in invitations around the holiday season 2021, but it suddenly stopped. It's reasonable to assume, given the increase in scrutiny being directed towards Tesla by various news organizations and regulatory agencies, that FSD Beta may stop admitting new testers, or at least slow down the rate of invitations.

Driving any vehicle is a dangerous task. We hold people's lives in our hands every time we get behind the wheel. Distracted drivers account for a large percentage of accidents in the US. These are people that are licensed by the state to drive, and yet they take driving as a casual enough task that they feel comfortable looking away from the road and focusing on their cell phone. Now, put this person in FSD Beta, where the car could be driving itself quite well, and then suddenly change direction and slam into a parked car, or worse.

I don't want to see regulators come down on Tesla like a ton of bricks and force all of us off FSD Beta because the wrong testers were admitted to the program. People who want in the Beta because they paid money and feel they are entitled, because they are simply curious, because the new interface looks really cool, or because they want to brag to others, are not doing the program justice. People who do not do their research, watch videos, read articles of experience such as what I wrote to prepare themselves for the experience are potentially putting people and the program at risk. And, if access to the Beta becomes more limited due to scrutiny by regulators, casual users are taking spots away from those who could truly help the program.

If someone is excited to try FSD Beta, thoughtful and researched about the experience, somber about the responsibility, and eager to help train the AI to improve future versions, then I sincerely hope they make it into the Beta. It truly is an amazing experience, and one I'm happy to be a part of.
 
  • Like
Reactions: aronth5
I don't want to see regulators come down on Tesla like a ton of bricks and force all of us off FSD Beta because the wrong testers were admitted to the program.
Given the very slow rate of progress over the last several months, Tesla might be better off pausing the FSD beta functionality until they have something significant to offer. If using FSD is really that much more dangerous than manual driving, it might be best to disable everyone's FSD beta until Beta 11 is available.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CaptUAL and Dewg
Given the very slow rate of progress over the last several months, Tesla might be better off pausing the FSD beta functionality until they have something significant to offer. If using FSD is really that much more dangerous than manual driving, it might be best to disable everyone's FSD beta until Beta 11 is available.
Tesla's approach is unique, letting unprofessional drivers test FSD. Other companies require professional, licensed safety drivers to test their vehicles. In my experience, as long as the Tesla driver is aware of the conditions and hyper-focused, FSD Beta is safe. Where we run into problems are casual users.

Here is an example I can think of: New drivers (ie: teenagers) with limited experience will likely overcompensate in corrections. Instead of mildly turning to the left to avoid someone opening their car door in a parked car, they become startled and jerk the wheel to the left, overcompensating. This behavior often corrects with experience. We learn to be cautious around parked cars, and if a door starts to open, we adjust more smoothly to the left. Now, imagine FSD Beta making an unexpected move. We can turn the wheel, forcing a disengagement or intervention, to avoid a problem. However, it's easy to overcompensate unless the driver is hyper-focused and ready to react. Again, experience will correct the behavior. If we mix the two, putting a casual driver, or inexperienced driver, behind the wheel of FSD Beta then we have safety issues and regulators need to step in.

Telsa is trying to shield this with the Safety Score, though there is some debate on their implementation of it. You may be 100% right, and Tesla should be held to the same standard and only allow professional, licensed safety drivers to test FSD Beta. I want the technology to succeed, and I want the public to be safe and trust the technology. Perhaps, if Tesla does kill the FSD Beta for unprofessional drivers, I will take the steps needed to get licensed for it and continue testing. :)
 
I've been in the FSD Beta since last Christmas. I'm reading many posts from people frustrated they are not on the Beta yet, and others who are on the Beta and complaining about it.

So, I want to give everyone my experiences with FSD Beta, try to make everyone understand what's involved in it, and hopefully dissuade several of you from trying to get into the Beta.

It's a Commitment
----------------------------------
I think many people are excited by the notion of FSD Beta, and watching YouTube videos or Twitter videos of people in FSD Beta thinking it will be easy and smooth. Let me assure you that it's a commitment to be in FSD Beta. It's not easy, and it's not smooth. You are committing to use a system that is far from perfect and agreeing to help improve the system by putting the car through various routes, and reporting problems as they occur. You're not going to be using your car as you did before. If you're not willing to use FSD Beta as much as possible, and thinking you'll only use casually, then I'd suggest it's not for you. Tesla needs data to improve the system. The more data, the faster the system develops. And we, the FSD Beta participants, want the end result in our lifetimes. :) Think of it as an unpaid internship.

It's Stressful
----------------------------------
I read many posts on TMC from people who are stressed over the Safety Score before even getting invited into FSD Beta. They worry about pissing off cars around them as they "drive like grandma" to keep a high score. Once you're in the FSD Beta, your stress level will go up even higher. Now, your car may perform odd maneuvers, suddenly brake, swerve left or right just before a turn, become paralyzed at unprotected turns, turn in a very unnatural or unsmooth way (ie: jerky), etc. You will likely get flashed with high-beams and honked at. Personally, I get those at least twice a week. Occasionally a middle-finger is extended when someone aggressively goes around you and cuts you off. I've even been coal-rolled. You need to have a calm demeanor and understand that you will be pissing people off. I have custom bumper stickers warning people behind me to help ease some of the stress I'm causing them, or at least letting them know they should stay back or go around me.

It's Mentally and Physically Draining
----------------------------------
Gone are the times when your brain goes into autopilot when you're driving, listening to music, or talking on the phone. Instead, you're hyper focused on the drive. I tell my friends that 80-90% of the time FSD Beta drives very well. 10-20% of the time it tries to kill me. :) Because of that, you cannot let your guard down for a moment. Many testers have their foot hovering or ready to engage, as the car could suddenly slow down in the middle of a turn, or approaching a flashing yellow caution sign. It might mistake an angled traffic light that's not meant for your lane and suddenly attempt to run a red light. It could make a sudden lane change, or try to make a turn from the wrong lane. I've had it try to go straight through an intersection while in a right turn-only lane.

Constant Engagement and Disengagement - And Reporting
----------------------------------
You will be engaging the system and disengaging it constantly. Is it getting too close to that parked car? Coming too fast at a speed bump? Did it become paralyzed at a 4-way stop where pedestrians are crossing? Is it in the wrong lane for the exit you need to take, and going to miss it? In many cases you will need to disengage FSD, perform a maneuver yourself and then re-engage FSD - and report it to Tesla. It's also important that you report everything to Tesla so they can improve the system. That can be difficult, if your car just freaked out and you had to disengage FSD and take over instantly to avoid something bad from happening. Your first reaction isn't usually to find and press a little camera button to report it - but you have to get into that habit.

Passengers
----------------------------------
I do most of my FSD Beta driving alone, as the system can really freak out passengers - and in many cases cause motion sickness in those susceptible to it. I've read many posts from people who say their BF/GF or spouse simply will not let them use FSD Beta while they are in the car.

Final Thoughts
----------------------------------
Some people might read the above and think, "I just won't use FSD Beta that much." If you're thinking you'll use FSD Beta a little, perhaps setting aside time to do a small trip with it from time to time, but otherwise driving the car yourself, then I think FSD Beta is not for you. You're committing to help Tesla improve a system, and with limited Beta participants (currently ~60K), your casual attitude towards the program could be negatively affecting it. There may be someone like me who is ready to totally commit to it, but cannot get into the program because someone else took a spot who really doesn't care that much. Also, if you've read all this and thought "Tesla should be paying me to do all this!", then the FSD Beta is not for you.

So be careful what you wish for... FSD Beta is not all fun and games.
Thank you for this. I have told people that being a Beta tester is stress hell. When it is good it is lovely but one must always be on guard. I must confess that I often forget to hit the camera button after the car has freaked out but I am trying hard to report back. Here is a write-up I posted a few days ago on another thread.

I got my Tesla Y in late June 2021. FSD was only enabled for freeway use when I got the car. Learning how to let the car drive
scared me into being a better driver. lol I became a FSD Beta tester on 12/1/21 and surface street FSD was enabled. My score never when beow 95 and when it hit 99 I got the Beta in a matter of days.

Driving on FSD was initially very stressful, but by the time I became a beta tester I was pretty comfortable.The car had the usual issues on surface streets, bad at left turns, phantom breaking and occasionally crossing over into the wrong lane prior to the Christmas as update. But since this update the car seems to drive worse. Left turns are a bit better and crossing into the wrong lane hasn't happened again.
I swear the software is deteriorating daily. Here is the list in the order in which they first occurred.

1) Hesitation at stop signs. Oddly I have a route I do 3-6 times a week and there was no hesitation at two busy stops sign onto larger streets prior to update.
Now it happens so frequently that people honk at me and I have to take over to make the turns.
2) Not seeing all speed limits and going either too slow or too fast.
3) On surface streets taking turns at too high a speed in an exit lane. This is scary when the turn is into a single-lane narrow street with large island.
I have had to take control several times so the car didn't hit the island.
4) Hesitation in crossing intersections with stop lights. This seems to be getting worse. Bad in busy traffic.
5) Way too frequent lane changes on surface streets. Damn car stop doing this please!
6) Dropping the speed limit on the freeway by 10 for no apparent reason. Then quickly speeds up again. Often there is nothing around. The phantom
breaking I had experienced earlier, slowed down much more and I had to take over to increase speed.

So I have been using FSD Beta as much as possible and when it's good it's whew! and when it's not I just give up and drive myself.
I am doing that more and more these days.


Is anyone else experiencing any of this?
 
Thank you for this. I have told people that being a Beta tester is stress hell. When it is good it is lovely but one must always be on guard. I must confess that I often forget to hit the camera button after the car has freaked out but I am trying hard to report back. Here is a write-up I posted a few days ago on another thread.

I got my Tesla Y in late June 2021. FSD was only enabled for freeway use when I got the car. Learning how to let the car drive
scared me into being a better driver. lol I became a FSD Beta tester on 12/1/21 and surface street FSD was enabled. My score never when beow 95 and when it hit 99 I got the Beta in a matter of days.

Driving on FSD was initially very stressful, but by the time I became a beta tester I was pretty comfortable.The car had the usual issues on surface streets, bad at left turns, phantom breaking and occasionally crossing over into the wrong lane prior to the Christmas as update. But since this update the car seems to drive worse. Left turns are a bit better and crossing into the wrong lane hasn't happened again.
I swear the software is deteriorating daily. Here is the list in the order in which they first occurred.

1) Hesitation at stop signs. Oddly I have a route I do 3-6 times a week and there was no hesitation at two busy stops sign onto larger streets prior to update.
Now it happens so frequently that people honk at me and I have to take over to make the turns.
2) Not seeing all speed limits and going either too slow or too fast.
3) On surface streets taking turns at too high a speed in an exit lane. This is scary when the turn is into a single-lane narrow street with large island.
I have had to take control several times so the car didn't hit the island.
4) Hesitation in crossing intersections with stop lights. This seems to be getting worse. Bad in busy traffic.
5) Way too frequent lane changes on surface streets. Damn car stop doing this please!
6) Dropping the speed limit on the freeway by 10 for no apparent reason. Then quickly speeds up again. Often there is nothing around. The phantom
breaking I had experienced earlier, slowed down much more and I had to take over to increase speed.

So I have been using FSD Beta as much as possible and when it's good it's whew! and when it's not I just give up and drive myself.
I am doing that more and more these days.


Is anyone else experiencing any of this?
Make sure you're in Chill mode for FSD. And try recalibrating the cameras.
 
Yes I am in chill mode in FSD and ill try recalibrating the cameras. Thanks
Check out this thread.


Many of the things you are describing happen to everyone on varying degrees and frequency.
 
  • Like
Reactions: blissdancer
Good post that mirrors my thoughts. I received the Beta in the 2nd wave in October. It aligns perfectly with my autobiography: "How to Make Your Life Difficult in 10 Easy Steps."

I do post videos of my drives (Search Edward Pennington Calderhead on Youtube), which right now only happen on weekends due to WFH. Mostly it's a way to do learn video editing and do something fun in the bleak winter months. But I found I often go back and watch the videos to see what the screen was showing during some incidents or what the traffic patterns were. Sometimes I've attributed to the car things it did incorrectly, but in fact it might have been my error or something else. It's like being able to watch a game film.

I also have have Tesla Insurance so I have the added fun of being tracked again, but this time money is on the line. I will say the experience of getting a 100 safety score and driving Beta has made me a better, more careful driver.

At this stage it requires a specific kind of person that's willing to be a Beta tester and endure the challenges it poses. I think that was the sneaky (and brilliant) purpose of the Safety Score, to find those people.
 
I've been in the FSD Beta since last Christmas. I'm reading many posts from people frustrated they are not on the Beta yet, and others who are on the Beta and complaining about it.

So, I want to give everyone my experiences with FSD Beta, try to make everyone understand what's involved in it, and hopefully dissuade several of you from trying to get into the Beta.

View attachment 773827


It's a Commitment
----------------------------------
I think many people are excited by the notion of FSD Beta, and watching YouTube videos or Twitter videos of people in FSD Beta thinking it will be easy and smooth. Let me assure you that it's a commitment to be in FSD Beta. It's not easy, and it's not smooth. You are committing to use a system that is far from perfect and agreeing to help improve the system by putting the car through various routes, and reporting problems as they occur. You're not going to be using your car as you did before. If you're not willing to use FSD Beta as much as possible, and thinking you'll only use casually, then I'd suggest it's not for you. Tesla needs data to improve the system. The more data, the faster the system develops. And we, the FSD Beta participants, want the end result in our lifetimes. :) Think of it as an unpaid internship.

It's Stressful
----------------------------------
I read many posts on TMC from people who are stressed over the Safety Score before even getting invited into FSD Beta. They worry about pissing off cars around them as they "drive like grandma" to keep a high score. Once you're in the FSD Beta, your stress level will go up even higher. Now, your car may perform odd maneuvers, suddenly brake, swerve left or right just before a turn, become paralyzed at unprotected turns, turn in a very unnatural or unsmooth way (ie: jerky), etc. You will likely get flashed with high-beams and honked at. Personally, I get those at least twice a week. Occasionally a middle-finger is extended when someone aggressively goes around you and cuts you off. I've even been coal-rolled. You need to have a calm demeanor and understand that you will be pissing people off. I have custom bumper stickers warning people behind me to help ease some of the stress I'm causing them, or at least letting them know they should stay back or go around me.

It's Mentally and Physically Draining
----------------------------------
Gone are the times when your brain goes into autopilot when you're driving, listening to music, or talking on the phone. Instead, you're hyper focused on the drive. I tell my friends that 80-90% of the time FSD Beta drives very well. 10-20% of the time it tries to kill me. :) Because of that, you cannot let your guard down for a moment. Many testers have their foot hovering or ready to engage, as the car could suddenly slow down in the middle of a turn, or approaching a flashing yellow caution sign. It might mistake an angled traffic light that's not meant for your lane and suddenly attempt to run a red light. It could make a sudden lane change, or try to make a turn from the wrong lane. I've had it try to go straight through an intersection while in a right turn-only lane.

Constant Engagement and Disengagement - And Reporting
----------------------------------
You will be engaging the system and disengaging it constantly. Is it getting too close to that parked car? Coming too fast at a speed bump? Did it become paralyzed at a 4-way stop where pedestrians are crossing? Is it in the wrong lane for the exit you need to take, and going to miss it? In many cases you will need to disengage FSD, perform a maneuver yourself and then re-engage FSD - and report it to Tesla. It's also important that you report everything to Tesla so they can improve the system. That can be difficult, if your car just freaked out and you had to disengage FSD and take over instantly to avoid something bad from happening. Your first reaction isn't usually to find and press a little camera button to report it - but you have to get into that habit.

Passengers
----------------------------------
I do most of my FSD Beta driving alone, as the system can really freak out passengers - and in many cases cause motion sickness in those susceptible to it. I've read many posts from people who say their BF/GF or spouse simply will not let them use FSD Beta while they are in the car.

Final Thoughts
----------------------------------
Some people might read the above and think, "I just won't use FSD Beta that much." If you're thinking you'll use FSD Beta a little, perhaps setting aside time to do a small trip with it from time to time, but otherwise driving the car yourself, then I think FSD Beta is not for you. You're committing to help Tesla improve a system, and with limited Beta participants (currently ~60K), your casual attitude towards the program could be negatively affecting it. There may be someone like me who is ready to totally commit to it, but cannot get into the program because someone else took a spot who really doesn't care that much. Also, if you've read all this and thought "Tesla should be paying me to do all this!", then the FSD Beta is not for you.

So be careful what you wish for... FSD Beta is not all fun and games.
I have to completely disagree. I am on FSD beta and for me it is very helpful. I take control in tricky situation at other times I let it drive and it does a good job. There is no stress involved. Only when making turns you have to watch for it, at turns you can take control make the turn let it drive the rest.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dewg and Raurele
Good post, @Dewg. I see this with beta versions of iOS, too. People download the beta version because they want to get the latest features as soon as possible but they don't understand what 'beta' means. It's a functional but buggy version of the software. You can and should expect it to have issues (Tesla actually makes you agree to this if you bother reading the warnings before clicking 'accept.') If you're not prepared for those issues then you should stick with the non-beta software.

While there's no contractual obligation to use and report, the entire point of the beta program is to get a wide range of real world experience for the engineers and programmers to improve the algorithm. Using and reporting issues is part of that.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Dewg
Good post, @Dewg. I see this with beta versions of iOS, too. People download the beta version because they want to get the latest features as soon as possible but they don't understand what 'beat' means. It's a functional but buggy version of the software. You can and should expect it to have issues (Tesla actually makes you agree to this if you bother reading the warnings before clicking 'accept.') If you're not prepared for those issues then you should stick with the non-beta software.

While there's no contractual obligation to use and report, the entire point of the beta program is to get a wide range of real world experience for the engineers and programmers to improve the algorithm. Using and reporting issues is part of that.
Interesting typo. Or is it? 😂
 
  • Funny
Reactions: Dewg and sleepydoc
Make sure you're in Chill mode for FSD. And try recalibrating the cameras.
Well this is a mess. I recalibrated the the cameras and lost FSD. Drove 80 miles on autopilot. FSD never returned. Before the drive home I did soft and hard reset. No FSD. Drove 80 miles home on autopilot. DId a soft and hard reset. Drove the car a few blocks, no FSD and now no autopilot. I send a service message. I will know in two hours when I can have an appointment. LOL
 
Well this is a mess. I recalibrated the the cameras and lost FSD. Drove 80 miles on autopilot. FSD never returned. Before the drive home I did soft and hard reset. No FSD. Drove 80 miles home on autopilot. DId a soft and hard reset. Drove the car a few blocks, no FSD and now no autopilot. I send a service message. I will know in two hours when I can have an appointment. LOL
update, well since filed a service report all functionality has been restored to the car. lol its all a mystery to me lol