I need to vent - this car is going from bad to worse

[speedy]

Perhaps Tesla could make this clearer by display a "BETA" icon on the dashboard while "beta" features are enabled...

Don't they actually do that? I don't have AP or EAP but on a AP loaner that I had, I thought I saw it in the settings

 

[speedy]

I still think I have the right to be angry about paying $5k for buggy functionality.

Of course you do! So do all the other folks who bought EAP expecting it to be better than AP and with more features, and it still isn't. And lets not even bring in the folks that paid for FSD, with no sign of it at all....

 

[Sunshine State]

It amazes me how many people say that AP2 has caught up with AP1. MobilEye is the undisputed leader in collision avoidance technology with over a decade of experience and yet people think that Tesla has passed them in a little over a year. When these known problems happen with AP2 the answer is its still in Beta. Give it a few more years and AP2 might catch up, after all they can copy a successful system, unfortunately by then it will be time to trade it in. Good luck with your car.

 

[steve841]

My car has never left and/or lost the suspension setting when I park...

Also, FWIW, Jack Mode raises the car to the highest level. So im guessing that was just a misstatement ...

 

[ucmndd]

It’s funny, if autopilot wasn’t an option and didn’t exist this would easily be the best car I’ve ever owned by a country mile. If I didn’t go in with the sky-high (and ultimately completely unrealistic) expectations that Elon and the Tesla marketing machine spun up for AP2, then I wouldn’t constantly feel like I’d sunk $5k on a turd of an option that I now fully believe is never going to work as advertised. I can’t imagine the fury I’d feel if I ponied up the extra $3k for the FSD unicorn, and can’t help but feel it’s extremely irresponsible for Tesla to still be taking customers’ money for that option to this day.

 

[mookhead]

Also, FWIW, Jack Mode raises the car to the highest level. So im guessing that was just a misstatement ...

You would think, but then it wouldn't be a bug.

 

[AndrewTX]

It’s funny, if autopilot wasn’t an option and didn’t exist this would easily be the best car I’ve ever owned by a country mile. If I didn’t go in with the sky-high (and ultimately completely unrealistic) expectations that Elon and the Tesla marketing machine spun up for AP2, then I wouldn’t constantly feel like I’d sunk $5k on a turd of an option that I now fully believe is never going to work as advertised. I can’t imagine the fury I’d feel if I ponied up the extra $3k for the FSD unicorn, and can’t help but feel it’s extremely irresponsible for Tesla to still be taking customers’ money for that option to this day.

I find EAP worthwhile for the limited times I use it (long-distance open highway driving) and TACC to be very useful. It was clear to me when I ordered in 4Q16 that FSD was a pipedream so I didn't order it.
I totally agree that Tesla shouldn't be taking pre-orders for FSD. I'm not an attorney but it frankly seems fraudulent to me. Caveat Emptor, I guess.

 

[GaryW]

I love my model S.

It’s the fastest car I’ve ever owned.

It’s the most stable AWD car I’ve ever owned.

It’s the most energy efficient car I’ve ever owned.

It replaces my Z4 BMW, my SUV, and my Prius. Yes, I used to be a three car family all by myself.

I don’t like the TACC. Not really. I don’t trust it, really.

The EAP is not ready.

If you don’t like your car, I hope you sell it and give someone else a chance to enjoy the best car in the world.

 

[demundus]

You're getting a lot of... interesting responses.

I typically refrain from these posts, but I'll say at least this much. I LOVE my car, and I'd buy another if something happened to it.

I own a 2013 with almost no features. The only reason I'd buy newer is for fit and finish. AP is the way of the future, but the future is still distant. I'll get a lot of hate for this as well but... AP doesn't matter to me because I'd rather enjoy my car than be stressed about it, or be upset with it's (lack of) features. To each their own, but I don't think its time to relinquish control of the road just yet, even for a moment, even with your hands and feet at the ready

Hopefully Tesla hears these woes, but my hunch is, you'll just have to drive your option'd out car the old fashioned way and not get snake-oiled for your 3rd Tesla (if you buy another)

 

[mookhead]

I should clarify (and rereading my title, I realize it was a bit incendiary) that I do like my Tesla. It's the best electric car you can buy, and I chose to buy electric. If I got a do-over, I wouldn't make the same decision, but I'm not entirely unhappy with it.

To be frank, however, it'll probably be my last Tesla. The EV avalanche is a-comin', and companies that know how to make cars at scale have few real barriers to entry. The second generation EVs from BMW and Porsche will be tough competition for Tesla.

Elon got what *he* wanted (to force the industry to adopt EVs), but Tesla the Car Company is running out of runway fast. Making stuff is hard, it turns out.

 

[Ken7]

Of course because a company knows how to make cars at scale, it’s no guarantee they’ll be more reliable, fun or exciting to drive than a Tesla. They also won’t have access to the more and more entrenched supercharger network.

I’m guessing if your car never had EAP, you’d probably be quite happy.

 

[gjunky]

I am amazed (I know I shouldn't be on most of this forum these days) in the responses that negate the OP's experience.

It sounds like he knew exactly what he was getting into and has the experience to "test" the car. The AP software is buggy, especially in AP2.
Dont' blame the messenger, in this case the OP.

Our AP1 car decided to pull sharply to the left twice in the last week without warning, on a straight road and without having done it before. Both on the highway. Luckily, in both cases we had our hands firmly on the wheel to correct the car. If AP1 was as unpredicatable as I understand AP2 is, I would not use it.

 

[calisnow]

I hate to say this, and I'm sure a lot of people will disagree, but autopilot is a level 2 system. It's not supposed to work all the time. You, as the driver, are supposed to remain in constant control.

I have to disagree with the appropriateness and message of your post. It sounds like knee-jerk Tesla defending. If his claims are true - what the OP describes is totally unacceptable! Perhaps something is wrong with his hardware. Perhaps he's telling us a nonsense story. But if his claims are true then the car is acting up. Mine shows none of these traits bit if it did I'd be mad as hell and some TMC member reciting what Level 2 means would not help one bit.

 

[Shock-On-T]

It seems like there is a post like this every few weeks, but I need to vent somewhere.

In the last few days, my $130k car has tried to crash at least once, tried to drift into concrete barriers multiple times, tried to drive into my garage door sills, brake-checked a car behind me multiple times, and lowered itself onto a parking barrier.

I've just about had it with this hot mess.

Specifics (and I'm curious if anyone else has seen these problems):

• During late night drive, with autopilot engaged, I signaled to ask the car to change to the left lane. It started doing so, and about midway through, abruptly changed it mind, swerving dramatically back to the right, OVERSHOOTING my original lane and swinging to the rightmost lane. My hands were on wheel, and I caught it in time. Thankfully, no cars on either side of me, but this could have ended very badly.
• On my daily stop-and-go commute there is a curving onramp. This is 5mph tops. The car will either slowly drift into the concrete barrier, or slowly drift into the other lane. The instrument display diagram shows that it knows it's putting the wheels over the lanes. I've seen other posts complaining about the same thing.
• Summoning the car into my garage (which I do regularly), it decided to swerve to the left at the last second. I barely stopped it in time, with perhaps a quarter inch to spare.
• Multiple times during busy commutes, the car will decide that it has to dramatically slow down (for absolutely no discernible reason - no overpasses, no signs, just car shadows), causing cars behind me to hit the brakes. I drive with my foot near the accelerator, so I've been able to speed out of those situations, but this is extremely dangerous behavior.
• Yesterday after I came down to the parking lot, pull out of my stall, and hear a loud scraping sound. My car had decided to put itself into Jack Mode (I noticed the warning belatedly), and lowered itself onto the concrete parking barrier. Damage to the underside of my nose. This is what finally pissed me off enough to write this post.

I keep my hands on the wheel, my feet near the pedals, and I'm on high alert all the time, because I DON'T TRUST this car. I've filed a bug report for most of these incidents, but I have no confidence that any of it will be addressed. I mean, they can't even keep remember you had your radio muted after you hang up on a phone call, and that bug has been around for years.

If this were any other car, I'd suspect I had a lemon, and work with the company to get the problems resolved, but frankly, I don't know how to proceed here. Living in hope of a firmware fix was fun for a few months, but it's the wrong way for a company to treat its customers.

PS. this is my second Tesla, my third EV, and my 28th car. I knew what I was getting into when I put my MS order a year ago, but come on...

It might be sensor issue on your particular car.
Just a few weeks ago I drove an X90D from London to Switzerland and back on AP2 with firmware 2017.28 (old) and had none of the problems you mention.
It was as good as my AP1 car here in Australia.

 

[TaoJones]

Clarifications:

There is no EAP.
There is no FSD.

There are AP1 and AP2 which would have been better named DA (Driver Assist).

Within AP active features, we have:

TACC, which maintains distance tweenst your chariot and the chariot in front of you.

and

AutoSteer (AS) which is intended to facilitate lanekeeping (lateral distance).

AP1 TACC is worth the price of the car.
Autosteer is still not ready for prime time.

Overall, AP1 remains superior to AP2.

Condolences to the OP. We feel yer pain.

 

[Max*]

I have to disagree with the appropriateness and message of your post. It sounds like knee-jerk Tesla defending. If his claims are true - what the OP describes is totally unacceptable! Perhaps something is wrong with his hardware. Perhaps he's telling us a nonsense story. But if his claims are true then the car is acting up. Mine shows none of these traits bit if it did I'd be mad as hell and some TMC member reciting what Level 2 means would not help one bit.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. If you've seen my posts, you know that I'm not a Tesla defender. If anything, I'm more on the critical side of things related to Tesla, but I digress.

This is the internet, people come here sensationalizing problems all the time. I'm in no way implying the OP is doing this. But, it's human nature when you have enough little problems to wait for them boil up, put them together into one long post, and about it.

The OP himself said he works in AI, as someone who works in AI, he knows that it's garbage in, garbage out. If something on the road (which he's not seeing, but the car is), is confusing the sensors, it would make perfect sense for the car to do what it did.

Do the problems happen on the same stretch of road? During the same time of day? Are they random? Are they one offs? Do they happen all the time? etc. it's hard to come to the conclusion that his car is broken with the information given. If anything, I would come to the conclusion that people are expecting too much from the car. But, I do agree with you on this - it's possible his hardware is malfunctioning.

 

[comanchepilot]

I test drove an AP 2 vehicle [with the self drive option] on 30 Sept - so it had the upgrades through then - and imho it took more work to drive the thing on the freeway in AP than it does simply driving the car. . . . .

What happens in AP is that you slightly relax your scan - so when the car all of sudden detects someone drifting into your land or finds a missing section of lane markers and freaks out - you are not paying as close attention as you would and all of a sudden you are looking for the reason the car freaked. Maybe its something important, and maybe it was a bird.

Personally, for that reason alone - i.e., the delayed reaction time - I think AP at anything above 40mph is a mistake. . . . YMMV. And Elon will tell me I'm wrong, but humans are the final responsible arbiter - can you imagine getting into an accident, with AP on, and your testimony is 'my reaction time was slower because I was not paying close attention.'

Open the checkbook.

 

[speedy]

Respectfully, you say this is your 2nd Tesla and that you knew what you were getting into but did you do enough research on Auto Pilot before you bought the car? If you ordered it a year ago, it seems you probably have AP1, which is way more reliable and stable than AP2, but yet your expectations are seemingly not being met. However, your description of the events appear to be more consistent with AP2.

Geez @Chopr147, if you're going to give me my very first disagree, the least you can do is to spend some time to write up why!

 

[Chopr147]

AP1 here and not to be a Tesla fanboy but, I love it. Having said that anyone who uses AP often will at times have issues that need human intervention.But the OP. seems to have had more issues than most. I would be pissed off myself if I had that many problems. I use AP often but at 20k miles now I have a good feel of when to use it and more importantly when NOT to use it. Recently came back from a long ride and at one point the car braked a split second before the car in front of me did. Traffic nearly stopped due to a slow vehicle in left lane. (must have been a Maryland driver)

 

[deonb]

I keep my hands on the wheel, my feet near the pedals, and I'm on high alert all the time.

I do that too and my car doesn't even have AP!