Ghost Vehicle while using Model S AP1 Autosteer on Highway - Running 17.26.17

[jmillic]

I have seen a few posts about ghost vehicles appearing while using AP in a Model X, but I wanted to recount my experience yesterday in my Model S.

I was driving about 70 in Autosteer using AP1 in the HOV lane on I-85 in Atlanta. No cars near me at all.

Suddenly I got the loud beeping noise that I normally get when there is a stopped vehicle in front of me, the "red stopped vehicle" icon appeared on my screen, the car slammed on the brakes and decelerated about down to 45.

Luckily I was paying attention and had my hands on the steering wheel, so I was able to accelerate, get out of autosteer and had no real issue other than scaring my wife.

I have never had that happen before and am curious if anyone else has.

Maybe it is a new software bug as I updated to Version 17.26.17 last week.

Point is, it happened, so be aware (I know none of us are ever distracted or take out hands off the wheel while in AP).

 

[CeSinge]

Maybe it's not exactly the same but I have this at least a few times a year. I have a 2015 MS, so with AP hardware 1.0. When driving on a highway, typically, the car suddenly decelerates - I wouldn't say abruptly stops with full breaks applied, but clearly breaks - as if there was something. No car appears on the dashboard, and the AP does not stop itself. That happens usually on the same places (If I had it once in location x, I better be careful the next time I drive there). Like you, and certainly if others follow me, I have to react immediately and re-accelerate quickly. This is a dangerous thing, imo, as it appears as if I'm breaking hard for no reason at all; besides, this is illegal for obvious reasons.

I had this a few times on a fairly new highway in Slovakia: I figured out that the breaking was because I'd reached a point where a few months before this was then end of the highway and one had to do a steep turn to get off the unfinished highway, onto the normal roads. I think the GPS in part provides input the autopilot, and the absence of a highway in front of me (for the GPS) made the car break abruptly. Relying on a GPS seems dumb to me, but it is clear that it happens; I also believe that they tuned that down in recent updates.

However, this is a partial explanation as I had the same problem towards Brussels this last Friday: the highway is straight and is there since the sixties... In another place around Brussels, I had it very often (a smoother break, more a slowdown, fortunately), so much so that I had my foot on the gas (?!) pedal when I passed there.

Elon is too optimistic: he can prove me wrong, but I really do not believe in a full autopilot in a year or two. Certainly not when I see such obvious problems... not even talking about the tricky one.

 

[Texas]

I encountered ghost images twice in one trip while driving my AP-1 Model S P85D-L, but have not encountered the problem since. On June 5, 2016 a ghost image appeared on my dashboard on two occasions on Interstate 10 between San Marcos and Columbus, Texas. In each case, the ghost image was headed toward my car almost head-on but at an angle pointed toward the left front. In the first instance, the brakes automatically applied briefly, then released, but not on the second event. There was no audible warning that I recall. Autopilot was engaged both times. The ghost image moved very slowly and vanished almost immediately.

I reported these events to Tesla service by telephone and by email. The Houston Westchase Service Center thoroughly inspected the car's logs. The service invoice recorded that “Customer states dashboard shows another vehicle’s avatar when here was no vehicle on the road during that time. Incident happened 6/5/[2016] between midnight and 2AM when traveling back from Austin between San Marcos SC and Columbus SC. Corrections: Radar Sensors General Diagnosis Conclusion: No Trouble Found. Tested driver assist multiple times, vehicle never faulted. Investigated logs, found a few questionable data points. Contacted engineering, case is being reviewed.”

While it was after midnight when these events occurred, I always keep very late hours and was not sleepy. The first event was somewhat scary because it happened at over 80 mph and an 18 wheeler I had passed was not far behind me. On the second occasion, there were no vehicles anywhere within sight. The weather was clear. After the second event, I stopped and checked to see if either the radar or the camera was obscured by bugs, but they were okay.

There was a probably irrelevant but concurrent anomaly: the passenger side headlight was not operating and thereafter operated erratically. Service couldn't find any problem there either, as the light was working when they inspected it. This headlight problem recurred but was corrected a few months later.

The firmware on the car at the time, I believe, was 7.1 (2.20.30); this version was replaced by 7.1 (2.24.86) in late June 2016. I never heard back from Tesla about the logs, but since the problem hasn't recurred I have written it off as a fluke.

 

[thegruf]

Were there any roadsigns or an overbridge in the vicinity?

I believe what might be happening is that Tesla are increasingly rolling out the new active radar mode which builds models of the environment. This is a particularly clever way of trying to detect eg stationary vehicles half in lane that there have been various videos of rear end shunts. Of course this mode can include reflections from static objects too signs/bridgwes etc which may be inadvertantly detected as obstacles. I understand Tesla is whitelisting these events, so I would expect these to be progressively dialled out with updates. But yeah a bit disconcerting the first time it happens!

 

[jmillic]

Thank you all for your replies. There was no road signs or an overhead bridge.

I think I will wait until I/whenf it happens again and then deal with the service center or add it to my list to bring up next time at the service center. Thank you all again.

 

[thegruf]

I still suspect it was a radar false call even if nothing obvious as this occasional slow down is something new and conincides with the new radar mode.

I was told by Tesla that (in the EU at least) they still review the audio bug reports and tio do this if unexpeceted braking ocurred.
Press the voice command button and say "Bug report" followed by brief description, the car will also send summary data across to Tesla.
Great way to get an exact location/timedate stamp across to Tesla for review.

 

[wawalker]

I received my Tesla S on 7/13 and I first encounter the ghost vehicle before AP was calibrated and it was presented itself a total of 4 times. It showed up again today and I planning to visit the service center tomorrow and ask about it.

 

[fluteriffs]

UNSAFE 2016 MODEL S.

Over the past year, I have been having phantom braking while on autosteer and also on cruise control.

Mobile repair said I needed the sensors replaced, but when I got to the service center, the engineer said "your sensors are fine, this is a GPS problem that Tesla is trying to work out with Google. "
It happened again the other day when my husband was driving while traveling south in heavy traffic on HWY 5 from Los Angeles to San Diego. Going 70 mph, the car misread the road as having a 45 mph speed limit and braked hard accordingly. This is dangerous. When it happened I wrote down exactly what happened, when and where. Afterward, I had a one-hour call with Tesla during which they asked detailed questions and took notes. They said they'd get back to me in about 4 weeks.
My husband and I have handled these incidents, but it could easily happen that someone could rearend us on the freeway when this happens in busy traffic.
This is a great car, but the truth is, unless and until Tesla fixes this, it is an unsafe car. I would not recommend buying a Tesla at this point.

 

[trayloader]

what a doubtful first posting