How to stop FSD from changing lanes

[chracatoa]

FSD was a step in the wrong direction for me. Previously, I would use autopilot daily and it would not try to change lanes for no reason. Now I don't use it anymore.

This is what's doing now:

1. We're getting to the end of the highway where we need to turn right. It's a messy area with 4 lanes where you can turn left, go straight, turn right, there's a ton of cars in bumper to bumper traffic. Guess what? FSD decides to move to the left lane which first, it's impossible, because it's bumper to bumper traffic, and, secondly, even if it succeeded, the car will never be able to go back to the right lane.

2. We're in a two-way street with bump to bump cars, double yellow lines . The car decides to turn on the left blinker announcing it's moving to the other lane. IN A DOUBBLE YELLOW LINE area, into oncoming traffic!

3. We're in a two-lane road where soon we'll turn right. We're stuck for a few seconds behind a bus dropping passengers. FSD decides to move to the left lane and, if it succeeds, we won't be able to do turn right.

4. Other similar situations that it decides to move to the left lane for no reason. The left lane is the high speed/take over lane, why would I want to be there if my lane is empty?

So how do I stop those permanently those lane changes, or at least give me more control? I know there's an option for a single trip but I can't be doing that every time I sit in the car.

 

[RTPEV]

So how do I stop those permanently those lane changes, or at least give me more control? I know there's an option for a single trip but I can't be doing that every time I sit in the car.

Welcome to what is effectively a beta test (whether they call it that or not).

Despite what Elon keeps saying, there is still a very long way to go.

In the situations you describe, I would simply not use it. Just drive the car in traffic like that.

On road trips where you may actually benefit from at least autopilot-like behavior, what many of us do is to have a "non-FSD" driver profile with FSD turned off. That way we can use autopilot without all the baggage that comes with FSD.

I treat FSD like a beta test. I occasionally turn it on to monitor how its doing and hopefully give the team feedback on where it needs improvement, but I consider myself a tester in that case. I don't expect it to actually be driving me around (and frankly it still does a poor enough job in even moderate traffic, that I simply don't even use it in those situations).

 

[JulienW]

You need to disengage if you are unhappy with the way FSD Beta is driving. You can't "control" the way FSD Beta drives other than the Assertive, Average and Chill selection. You can't "backseat" drive FSD Beta (other than adjust speed).

 

[Supcom]

You need to disengage if you are unhappy with the way FSD Beta is driving. You can't "control" the way FSD Beta drives other than the Assertive, Average and Chill selection. You can't "backseat" drive FSD Beta (other than adjust speed).

Yep. For me most days are sublime. Today, however, the car had a Bad Elon Day and kept doing dumb things. Turning left at a very busy intersection with two left turn lanes turning into three lanes. The car to my right cut my car off taking the center lane that my car wanted (technically, it's my lane). Ego's ego was hurt, got all huffy and actually stopped in the middle of the intersection to pout about it instead of just using the open leftmost lane and getting on down the road. Elon got an earful from that little stunt.

Another moody stunt. Driving in center lane of three with the leftmost lane coned off for construction. No obstructions or visible issues. Ego just decides to slow down and stop. Nobody behind me, so I let it stop. But, unlike phantom braking, it doesn't pick back up. Just sat there throwing a tantrum. Well, not really a tantrum, but it did just sit there until I disengaged.

Tomorrow, it'll drive perfectly.

Oh, anybody in the Dallas area use the eastbound Coit Rd entrance to Bush Turnpike? The last four times I've used this on FSDb, I've gotten the Red Wheel of Death as the car approaches the old toll booths. Happened on both 11.3.6 and 11.4.4. Curious if anyone else gets this.

 

[EVRider-FL]

So how do I stop those permanently those lane changes, or at least give me more control? I know there's an option for a single trip but I can't be doing that every time I sit in the car.

Well, that’s your only option until Tesla changes the behavior. Or stop using FSD Beta.

 

[MLXXXp]

I know there's an option for a single trip but I can't be doing that every time I sit in the car.

Why not? You just have to nudge the right scroll wheel to the left or right (which used to change the following distance). This will show a pop-up and change the FSD mode between Chill, Average and Assertive but will also provide a button to select Minimal Lane Changes. You then have to nudge the scroll wheel in the opposite direction to set the mode back to what it was. The pop-up will close itself after a few seconds.

 

[RTPEV]

Still, it would be nice if that setting stuck (or maybe the default be on)

 

[JHCCAZ]

So how do I stop those permanently those lane changes, or at least give me more control? I know there's an option for a single trip but I can't be doing that every time I sit in the car.

The problem with the Minimal Lane Changes button isn't really that it has to be set before every drive. I wish that minor inconvenience were the only objection!

The real problem is that it does not suppress mistaken or confused lane changes initiated by FSD beta. It only suppresses some speed-based lane changes. The confused blinking and inappropriate lane change initiation that you described in city driving, is mostly unaffected by the Minimal Lane Changes setting.

I get tremendous value out of FSD beta despite such annoyances, and I do think they'll get better over the next few releases. But if you are constantly annoyed that you have to look out for the cars mistakes, FSD beta might not be for you.

 

[BitJam]

FSD was a step in the wrong direction for me. Previously, I would use autopilot daily and it would not try to change lanes for no reason. Now I don't use it anymore.

This is what's doing now:

1. We're getting to the end of the highway where we need to turn right. It's a messy area with 4 lanes where you can turn left, go straight, turn right, there's a ton of cars in bumper to bumper traffic. Guess what? FSD decides to move to the left lane which first, it's impossible, because it's bumper to bumper traffic, and, secondly, even if it succeeded, the car will never be able to go back to the right lane.

2. We're in a two-way street with bump to bump cars, double yellow lines . The car decides to turn on the left blinker announcing it's moving to the other lane. IN A DOUBBLE YELLOW LINE area, into oncoming traffic!

3. We're in a two-lane road where soon we'll turn right. We're stuck for a few seconds behind a bus dropping passengers. FSD decides to move to the left lane and, if it succeeds, we won't be able to do turn right.

4. Other similar situations that it decides to move to the left lane for no reason. The left lane is the high speed/take over lane, why would I want to be there if my lane is empty?

So how do I stop those permanently those lane changes, or at least give me more control? I know there's an option for a single trip but I can't be doing that every time I sit in the car.

I've had similar stupid lane change issues. Oddly, it started a few weeks after I got FSD beta without any change in the firmware or FSD version. I've had it try to leave the empty correct lane for our upcoming turn so it could get right behind a cement mixer. The stupid lane changes are very annoying. It surprises me and surprises the cars it wants to cut off.

Where I live the live traffic data can be horribly wrong. The car was consistently trying to reroute me away from a direct route with almost no traffic to a more circuitous route with more traffic and frequent (for us) accidents. I see yellow lines on the map and almost no cars on the road!

In the Navigation screen I disabled "Online Routing: find optimal route based on traffic conditions" which fixed the problem of the car trying to take my out of my way to where the heaviest traffic is. Maybe this will also help with the stupid lane changes.

I started noticing the stupid lane changes when there was construction on a road out of town that closed one of the lanes but this may have been a coincidence. Since my FSD and firmware versions didn't change, bad traffic data could explain why my car (and others) started trying to do stupid lane changes.

 

[chracatoa]

Thanks, I guess I'll disable FSD until this part is dealt with. I'll also see if disabling optimal route on traffic conditions changes anything (not sure if it applies, there's usually just one way of going where I'm going).

 

[JHCCAZ]

In the Navigation screen I disabled "Online Routing: find optimal route based on traffic conditions" which fixed the problem of the car trying to take my out of my way to where the heaviest traffic is. Maybe this will also help with the stupid lane changes.

I've been grumbling about the inappropriate lane-change attempts for a while now. I've seen them come and go, not entirely randomly, but seemingly solved for a while in a particular place, then unsolved again.

I do believe it has a lot to do with the detailed map data, but overlaying some basic incorrect tendencies. Like the clear tendency of 11.4.x to want to take a new travel lane that opens up adjacent to the current lane - further compounded by its tendency to interpret a turn-lane entrance as a new travel lane, which (per the above) it then wants to shift into!

The other major lane-error syndrome is its very frustrating desire to change out of the current and appropriate travel lane, not far ahead of an upcoming turn. This one, frankly, is so strange and repeatable that it really feels like a bug in some hand-coded subroutine. As if one of the Autopilot programmers had a task to write a helper routine, intended to encourage the car to get in the correct lane (maybe a thousand yards out or so), but there's just a coding error in there. So, either it gets the needed shift direction wrong (sign-reversal bug) or perhaps it's just that it over-zealously commands a lane change even if it's already where it needs to be. If I could talk to someone on the team, I would be suggesting they go look for something like this. I mean, sure it could be simply an ML training problem, but to me it feels more like an old fashioned software implementation bug.

In any case, I took your suggestion this past weekend, and I tried disabling the online navigation toggle. It definitely changed things, solving one or two issues in my daily drives, but it introduced as least as many new problems. So I'm going to go back to enabling the toggle again. Thanks for the suggestion though, it was an interesting experiment.

 

[Docpaulo]

Yeah, unfortunately this probably won't get fixed until a news outlet reports on a crash due to this...

It moved me to left turn lane with little warning then slammed on the brakes when the 100ft turn lane ended... almost hit a concrete curb but i maneuvered to a shallow ditch...

 

[JHCCAZ]

Yeah, unfortunately this probably won't get fixed until a news outlet reports on a crash due to this...

It moved me to left turn lane with little warning then slammed on the brakes when the 100ft turn lane ended... almost hit a concrete curb but i maneuvered to a shallow ditch...

Are you saying that you allowed it to move you into an unwanted turn lane? There are three levels of prevention/disengagement that you can apply here:

1. As soon as you hear the unwanted turn signal click, use the turn signal stalk half-press to cancel the unwanted change maneuver. This leaves you fully engaged in FSD, and one cancellation is usually enough for this kind of error. But if it comes back, cancel again or move on to one of the actions below.

2. If it starts to move you out of the lane and you hadn't canceled, then just firmly ( not in a panic way) override the steering so that it releases control. From that point on, you have disengaged FSD Autosteer but you are still in TACC cruise control. Also, I don't think this steering override by itself will cancel the turn signal.

3. Simply tap the brake pedal (again not a panic stop) to completely disengage and drive manually until you're ready to re-engage. Alternatively, you can half press the right hand stalk upwards without touching the brake. Either way you'll be out of all automatic driving until you're ready to go back.

I know it takes some getting used to, but if you remain calm and anticipate, you shouldn't ever be forced into a curb or a ditch by the car, nor by your own reaction to a mistake from the car. It's actually very unlikely that FSD will take you out of drivable space, even if it makes a bad and unwanted choice. React but don't overreact. It's definitely nerve-racking if you haven't used it before, but pretty soon you'll get to understand it and you'll be more confident. I think the lane change issue is a big annoyance but not a major safety problem. Turns across traffic are another matter; you should be very cautious with those and take over if you're at all unsure that the car is doing the right thing. Also, be aware of the things that it simply doesn't at this time like school zones, school buses, police scenes etc.

 

[Docpaulo]

Are you saying that you allowed it to move you into an unwanted turn lane? There are three levels of prevention/disengagement that you can apply here:

1. As soon as you hear the unwanted turn signal click, use the turn signal stalk half-press to cancel the unwanted change maneuver. This leaves you fully engaged in FSD, and one cancellation is usually enough for this kind of error. But if it comes back, cancel again or move on to one of the actions below.

2. If it starts to move you out of the lane and you hadn't canceled, then just firmly ( not in a panic way) override the steering so that it releases control. From that point on, you have disengaged FSD Autosteer but you are still in TACC cruise control. Also, I don't think this steering override by itself will cancel the turn signal.

3. Simply tap the brake pedal (again not a panic stop) to completely disengage and drive manually until you're ready to re-engage. Alternatively, you can half press the right hand stalk upwards without touching the brake. Either way you'll be out of all automatic driving until you're ready to go back.

I know it takes some getting used to, but if you remain calm and anticipate, you shouldn't ever be forced into a curb or a ditch by the car, nor by your own reaction to a mistake from the car. It's actually very unlikely that FSD will take you out of drivable space, even if it makes a bad and unwanted choice. React but don't overreact. It's definitely nerve-racking if you haven't used it before, but pretty soon you'll get to understand it and you'll be more confident. I think the lane change issue is a big annoyance but not a major safety problem. Turns across traffic are another matter; you should be very cautious with those and take over if you're at all unsure that the car is doing the right thing. Also, be aware of the things that it simply doesn't at this time like school zones, school buses, police scenes etc.

If you read my posts, i thought it was going to switch to the right lane when i heard the signal go off.. when it went left, i didn't react as i was confused and was caught off guard... it was not a move any sane driver would expect... it 100% took me out of a driveable lane into a short left turn lane between medians then slammed the brakes as it could not return into the travel lane as there was traffic behind me...that's when i took over and braked as well and steered myself out of the cement median into the shallow ditch between the median and the travel lane.. i then returned to the travel lane on my own control once traffic cleared...

I now know to anticipate this error... and it is an error in the fsdb programming... I just hope it gets fixed...

I was about a week into a 5k mile road trip.. was just learning about fsd and finding out its errors

 

[Zimo]

I’m having the same problem with changing lanes on 2 lane highway where a
l of a sudden there in other lane added for a right or even left lane turn and the car just sit without warning. I disengage every time so I can answer the why did you disengage question. Maybe someone is listening to these and the problem will get fixed. The other problem I am having is that with constant Lange changes on the freeway even when there is no one in front of me. Most of the time I can quickly can the turn, using the turn signal but it’s a royal pain. I’m on a long road trip and it’s almost useless to me. I’ve had this Car for over 3 years and it’s worse now than ever.

 

[Genie]

Based on about 20k miles of FSDb driving I’m pretty sure I will never want the car to select the lane other than the exit lane. That would not be Full Self of course, but every single time my MX has decided I should be in a different lane, it was wrong. I don’t love that but I would love an option for zero auto lane change, there’s probably zero chance of getting that.

 

[KuBh]

I miss the option where FSD would ask your permission to change lanes. Also, I find FSD dangerous when merging on a highway at 35 mph when the traffic is moving at 60 mph. One has to use FSD selectively.

 

[JulienW]

I miss the option where FSD would ask your permission to change lanes. Also, I find FSD dangerous when merging on a highway at 35 mph when the traffic is moving at 60 mph. One has to use FSD selectively.

That was NOT FSD (Beta) but NoA. FSD has never ask about changing lanes.

 

[Deaf Paul]

That was NOT FSD (Beta) but NoA. FSD has never ask about changing lanes.

My M3 with EAP asks for permission to change lanes. At least it used to. Haven't driven it in about a month.

My MY with FSDb doesn't and I'm always going into the menu to turn on the minimal lane change option at the start of each drive because it makes bad lane changing decisions more than good ones. I wish I could port over that and one other EAP feature over to FSDb.

-Paul

 

[JulienW]

My M3 with EAP asks for permission to change lanes. At least it used to. Haven't driven it in about a month.

My MY with FSDb doesn't and I'm always going into the menu to turn on the minimal lane change option at the start of each drive because it makes bad lane changing decisions more than good ones. I wish I could port over that and one other EAP feature over to FSDb.

-Paul

While I can sorta understand it can't be Full Self Driving (Beta) if it is having to ask if it is OK to do a lane change. The whole point is that FSD is making the driving decisions. There is no way it could drive in the city if you have to confirm every lane change, especially the amount of time it takes. You can switch FSD Beta to Autosteer and drive in NoA when you want to confirm lane changes.