Latest Update (Feb 2019)--Something has changed (for the worse)

[Beta V]

When I got my latest update there was virtually no indication what had changed other than some (silly) "fireplace" BS Easter egg. Do not get me started on that thread again. No mention was made to changes in other areas except "bug fixes" or "upgrades."

However, I have just been back to the dealer again (for the 7th time (or so)) for a malfunctioning driver's seat this time, a popped-out front fender skirt, and the USB camera recorder. They fixed the skirt, said they ordered the seat from Norway (huh?) and had no idea what was wrong with the camera system which would stop recording without notice despite plenty of space being available on the USB memory stick. While the car was in the shop, they not only failed to wash it as usual but they left the car with all tires at 38-36 lbs. tire pressure. I would have thought they would have taken the time to do a quick safety check. After all, they had it for three hours (while I waited).

After the firmware update, the camera seems to be working (so far). That's great.
The seat arrived two days after having been ordered. Apparently, it was given a First-class seat on the latest flight from Oslo or it was in stock locally--too bad they could not have told me this before and too bad they can't put it in for another three weeks.

But more importantly, the Auto Drive programming has changed--dramatically. I do not have the $5000 take-me-there upgrade, so I'm talking about the basic speed-control, steering control Auto Drive. In the past, I could double-tap the stick and the car would track the car in front of me in heavy traffic and 95% of the time keep going for long periods of time, occasionally dropping out of auto-steer if I felt it was getting too close to an obstacle and I pulled on the wheel to correct the car's path (like I'm supposed to) or the car just felt like doing something else. Because of this relatively erratic behavior, I always keep my hands on the wheel--lightly gripping and providing minimal resistance.

BUT since the update, this has changed. Now it drops out of auto-steer far more frequently and at one point, two enormous red hands appeared on the dash screaming that I need to GRIP THE WHEEL. WTF? Even when I didn't get the slap from the red hands, the car dropped out of auto-steer at random times and worse yet, it reset the cruise speed to the current speed. This meant I had to manually reset that too.

This is not cool. Not sexy. Not safe. Not smart. Not acceptable. I now plan to call Tesla Support and spend the next two hours on hold.

 

[Beta V]

Support had me do a "triple" reset to try to "reseat" the firmware update. I'll try it again when I get out on the freeway. I'm wearing my crash helmet though.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

Support had me do a "triple" reset to try to "reseat" the firmware update.

Sigh. "Reseat the firmware". If it's even a thing, it shouldn't be.

Really? Why can't firmware notices include "Firmware installation success.", or "Firmware installation failed, retry or contact service." Ambiguity has no place here.

 

[efusco]

Super confusing post...Are you asking a specific question about something or just wanting to rant?

I assume you are saying that you have EAP (Enhanced Autopilot) and feel that the behavior has changed somehow. There are many many reasons why it may be kicking you out of autosteer more frequently, the winter weather, esp. if there is snow on the road and it can't see the lines may be one reason, there may be some adjustment to the torque sensitivity and you're simply not applying enough torque to the steering wheel. Remember that if you are holding the wheel, on a straight piece of road and applying pressure equally to both sides of the wheel, there is no relative torque being applied and the car will read that as you not holding the wheel. You just have to watch for the light flashing and wiggle the wheel a couple times until you feel the slight resistance.

I'm not sure why you want to call customer support or what you expect them to do.

I don't know how the seat and fender issues come into play with a firmware update.

One thing I will agree with you on as an annoyance is the resetting of the set cruise control speed to your current speed rather than the set speed. No idea what they were thinking when they programmed that in...annoying as hell when you don't notice it right away and cars start passing you.

 

[Beta V]

Super confusing post...Are you asking a specific question about something or just wanting to rant?

I assume you are saying that you have EAP (Enhanced Autopilot) and feel that the behavior has changed somehow. There are many many reasons why it may be kicking you out of autosteer more frequently, the winter weather, esp. if there is snow on the road and it can't see the lines may be one reason, there may be some adjustment to the torque sensitivity and you're simply not applying enough torque to the steering wheel. Remember that if you are holding the wheel, on a straight piece of road and applying pressure equally to both sides of the wheel, there is no relative torque being applied and the car will read that as you not holding the wheel. You just have to watch for the light flashing and wiggle the wheel a couple times until you feel the slight resistance.

I'm not sure why you want to call customer support or what you expect them to do.

I don't know how the seat and fender issues come into play with a firmware update.

One thing I will agree with you on as an annoyance is the resetting of the set cruise control speed to your current speed rather than the set speed. No idea what they were thinking when they programmed that in...annoying as hell when you don't notice it right away and cars start passing you.

No, I DON'T have Enhanced $5000 Autopilot, just the type that the car came with. I thought I made that clear. And yes, it's a rant, and that's what forums are for--to vent our frustrations at a car which is more expensive but less reliable than any car I've owned since my 1930 Model A Ford.

I also expect the car to know when I'm holding the wheel when I'm (expletive deleted) holding the wheel. I should not have to be trained to do so. If I hold it too tight, it goes out of auto-steer every time it has to correct. It seems like it's programmed to navigate in a series of straight lines, and not set up a fixed "N" degree turn based on the road ahead and do minor corrections if it does not guess right--which is what humans do. It was working better before the update. That's the rant. That's the bug report. That's what I want fixed.

I expect customer support to tell me this is what it's supposed to do and for me to ask "why?"

No, the seat and fender issues are just more of the litany of issues I've had with the car--as I said, it's been back to the service center so often they know me by my first name and know the issues I've had with the car. Most are fairly serious. All were inconvenient. The only upside is that there is a great Texas BBQ place near the dealership and they too now know me by first name.

 

[gavine]

How long have you had the car? Did the autosteer always work well for you but not since the most recent update? Just wondering what your experience was like before the update.

 

[Beta V]

How long have you had the car? Did the autosteer always work well for you but not since the most recent update? Just wondering what your experience was like before the update.

I've had the car for just over a year and the autosteer worked better BEFORE the update. Now it seems more sensitive to my touch (or it's perceived lack of a gentle hand). I've used the autosteer a lot on the freeway in heavy traffic and it works well enough that I used to trust it. Now, not so much--especially now that it resets the speed when it makes me take over steering control. I wish the kids would focus more on the serious stuff and less on cute fireplaces and flatulence.

 

[brkaus]

To clarify, sounds like you have EAP (TACC, Autosteer), but not FSD (the take me anywhere someday, maybe, but definitely not today)?

Unfortunately, the speed getting locked when taking out of auto steer will likely remain that way forever. The old way, where if you had an emergency maneuver (or simply pull off into a parking lot out of traffic) and then the car accelerates can pretty scary. This method is terribly annoying, but not having the car accelerate is probably the safer choice.

 

[Beta V]

To clarify, sounds like you have EAP (TACC, Autosteer), but not FSD (the take me anywhere someday, maybe, but definitely not today)?

Unfortunately, the speed getting locked when taking out of auto steer will likely remain that way forever. The old way, where if you had an emergency maneuver (or simply pull off into a parking lot out of traffic) and then the car accelerates can pretty scary. This method is terribly annoying, but not having the car accelerate is probably the safer choice.

Granted. Probably a better choice... still a PIA. It's like dealing with a pedantic old woman trying to tell me how to drive.

 

[jeffro01]

To clarify, sounds like you have EAP (TACC, Autosteer), but not FSD (the take me anywhere someday, maybe, but definitely not today)?

Unfortunately, the speed getting locked when taking out of auto steer will likely remain that way forever. The old way, where if you had an emergency maneuver (or simply pull off into a parking lot out of traffic) and then the car accelerates can pretty scary. This method is terribly annoying, but not having the car accelerate is probably the safer choice.

I disagree and seriously hope Tesla put's it back the way it was like EVERY other car EVER made with cruise control... Resume means resume previous speed, not magically lock on whatever speed you disengage at... My wife and I both have had serious close calls with this "feature" since it's implementation and don't even get me started on the absolutely zero warning part... How can you fundamentally change the way a critical feature works in every car on the planet without at least giving the owner a heads up in the release notes?

This company is in the running for the most incompetent ever... Seriously, what in the hell are they doing over there?

Jeff

 

[Beta V]

I disagree and seriously hope Tesla put's it back the way it was like EVERY other car EVER made with cruise control... Resume means resume previous speed, not magically lock on whatever speed you disengage at... My wife and I both have had serious close calls with this "feature" since it's implementation and don't even get me started on the absolutely zero warning part... How can you fundamentally change the way a critical feature works in every car on the planet without at least giving the owner a heads up in the release notes?

This company is in the running for the most incompetent ever... Seriously, what in the hell are they doing over there?

Jeff

It seems like they're being run by kids instead of by experienced, mature adults who think through their impulsive changes and "upgrades." It might not be that way at all, but given the number of truly silly updates of late, and lack of response on many more serious issues (at least as far as I can tell), it does appear as though they are not as competent as any of the Lexus/Acura/Infinity-class car designers.

 

[Batt Car]

Odd. I have had none of those experiences. Resume goes back to the original speed and auto steer disengages less. I also have never had an issue that required me to go to the service center, ever. I realize some cars might just be a lemon due to manufacturing issues, wonder if you might just have a lemon.

Hope the resolve it.

 

[brkaus]

I disagree and seriously hope Tesla put's it back the way it was like EVERY other car EVER made with cruise control... Resume means resume previous speed, not magically lock on whatever speed you disengage at... My wife and I both have had serious close calls with this "feature" since it's implementation and don't even get me started on the absolutely zero warning part... How can you fundamentally change the way a critical feature works in every car on the planet without at least giving the owner a heads up in the release notes?

This company is in the running for the most incompetent ever... Seriously, what in the hell are they doing over there?

Jeff

Different situation. Other cars someone is canceling the cruise control and when they hit resume later it goes back to previous speed.

In this case, user is canceling auto-steer and the car is now locking at current speed. It's the right thing to do. The old behavior of automatically accelerating if the road is clear is dangerous. For example, pull over to the shoulder to turn off a road and the car accelerates.

Tesla mimics other behavior if TACC only. Or if user taps the brake.

Edit - definitely agree these sort of changes should be documented.

 

[jeffro01]

Different situation. Other cars someone is canceling the cruise control and when they hit resume later it goes back to previous speed.

In this case, user is canceling auto-steer and the car is now locking at current speed. It's the right thing to do. The old behavior of automatically accelerating if the road is clear is dangerous. For example, pull over to the shoulder to turn off a road and the car accelerates.

Tesla mimics other behavior if TACC only. Or if user taps the brake.

Edit - definitely agree these sort of changes should be documented.

Personally, I can't envision any scenario where that would be the right thing to do. It goes against all learned behavior, having my cruise set at 75 then slowing down for an slow car, having to manual maneuver out of that lane because the auto-lane change is abysmally slow, only to find my cruise magically locked to a speed I didn't set it at is equally, if not more, dangerous than reaccelerating like expected. We've almost been rear ended several times because the car didn't do what it's supposed to do which is speed back up. If the car is accelerating and you're not prepared for it then either you shouldn't be driving or use the brake to stop it... Don't artificially cripple our cars because some are too irresponsible to drive in the first place...

Jeff

 

[XtheGas]

Beta V you seem to complain a lot. Why not sell the car if you hate it so much?

 

[efusco]

No, I DON'T have Enhanced $5000 Autopilot, just the type that the car came with. I thought I made that clear. And yes, it's a rant, and that's what forums are for--to vent our frustrations at a car which is more expensive but less reliable than any car I've owned since my 1930 Model A Ford.

I also expect the car to know when I'm holding the wheel when I'm (expletive deleted) holding the wheel. I should not have to be trained to do so. If I hold it too tight, it goes out of auto-steer every time it has to correct. It seems like it's programmed to navigate in a series of straight lines, and not set up a fixed "N" degree turn based on the road ahead and do minor corrections if it does not guess right--which is what humans do. It was working better before the update. That's the rant. That's the bug report. That's what I want fixed.

I expect customer support to tell me this is what it's supposed to do and for me to ask "why?"

No, the seat and fender issues are just more of the litany of issues I've had with the car--as I said, it's been back to the service center so often they know me by my first name and know the issues I've had with the car. Most are fairly serious. All were inconvenient. The only upside is that there is a great Texas BBQ place near the dealership and they too now know me by first name.

Umm, no you were not clear. If you have autosteer then you DO have EAP. Which is why I was saying your post is very confusing. EAP is NOT a standard feature.

And yes, you're welcome to rant, it just wasn't clear to me if you were asking a question or just venting and I was asking for clarification so we could offer help if you were asking a question. Again, you use very confusing/non-standard terminology which made it difficult to determine exactly what your issues/concerns were and if you were or were not asking questions.

As you might have noticed, I concur with you that the reseting of CC speed is annoying as hell.

 

[jeffro01]

Beta V you seem to complain a lot. Why not sell the car if you hate it so much?

While I can't speak for the OP, I can say that as soon as there is another long range EV with a national charging network like what Tesla has built then I'm 100% gone. Tesla is such a complete joke and embarrassment of a company that as soon as they have competition, real actual competition, they won't last longer than 5 proverbial seconds... The list of basic things Tesla can't even handle are astounding.

Jeff

 

[Batt Car]

While I can't speak for the OP, I can say that as soon as there is another long range EV with a national charging network like what Tesla has built then I'm 100% gone. Tesla is such a complete joke and embarrassment of a company that as soon as they have competition, real actual competition, they won't last longer than 5 proverbial seconds... The list of basic things Tesla can't even handle are astounding.

Jeff

Well I guess you'll be waiting for at least 5-6 years, maybe more. Tesla pushed the envelope. They will keep pushing it. Not perfect but a hell of a start. I am happy to take the good with the bad (far more good in my opinion).

I bet Tesla is around for a long time to come.

 

[mxnym]

While I can't speak for the OP, I can say that as soon as there is another long range EV with a national charging network like what Tesla has built then I'm 100% gone. Tesla is such a complete joke and embarrassment of a company that as soon as they have competition, real actual competition, they won't last longer than 5 proverbial seconds... The list of basic things Tesla can't even handle are astounding.

Jeff

Well I guess you'll be waiting for at least 5-6 years, maybe more. Tesla pushed the envelope. They will keep pushing it. Not perfect but a hell of a start. I am happy to take the good with the bad (far more good in my opinion).

I bet Tesla is around for a long time to come.

I've got to say, I have mixed feelings. I absolutely love my Model X, but the number of downgrades I've experienced in the year and change that I've owned it combined with the less than stellar communication and support have me thinking I don't road trip enough to care about the supercharger network and hoping I can get an electric car from a real manufacturer next time I'm in the market. I figure if it comes right down to it, that'll be an overpriced commute vehicle and I'll road trip by other means. I don't think Tesla is going to be gone in 5 proverbial seconds just because there's some competition, but I do think they're going to eventually be losing customers that aren't all about supporting Tesla because Tesla.

 

[bob_p]

Unfortunately, the requirement to verify the driver has hands on the steering wheel will not go away - and likely could get even more stringent.

Don't blame Tesla for this - blame the small percentage of drivers who tried driving "hands free" using software intended to operate only in "driver assist" mode.

Other manufacturers have deployed driver facing cameras to help determine if the driver is actually paying attention - and while that provides additional information that Tesla can't get from the steering wheel sensor - that also doesn't guarantee the driver is really paying attention ahead.

Tesla will likely continue to fine tune the algorithm for verifying the driver is controlling the vehicle, though as long as people keep trying to find ways to defeat the detection software, we shouldn't expect this to get any better.

The OP is describing a vehicle with EAP enabled - using a double-tap on the autopilot stalk to engage AutoSteer. This software is still in beta, and will have issues occasionally with correctly tracking lanes and the surrounding vehicles. The software is improving, and some releases may have a step backward in some aspects - that's expected when pushing the envelope on new capabilities. If owners are uncomfortable with this, then don't use it until the software has been more fully developed and validated.

The recent changes in trying to automatically adjust speed have introduced more issues, sometimes adjusting to an incorrect speed. Since the EAP software doesn't currently track traffic/speed limit signs, this instability is caused by using bad speed limit or road data stored in the vehicle - and until Tesla comes up with a better way to keep this information up-to-date, I wish they would provide an option to disable automatic speed limit changes.