New Owner Used M3 Odd Autopilot Problems

[RickV]

I bought my used 2018 M3 LR with 34K a month ago. We are very happy with the car, with one exception. It has only the base Autopilot functions, Lane Assist, Collision Avoidance Assist, Speed Assist and Auto high beam. However, my wife and I occasionally have had messages and on one occasion braking tied, I believe, to higher level Autopilot functions the car does not have.

For example, on one occasion, when I was freeway driving with one hand on the wheel with no traffic, a warning sounded with a screen message saying something like “hands are not on steering wheel! Place both hands on steering wheel or breaking will commence!” I believe this message is associated with Autosteer which the car does not have.

In another instance my wife was driving the car slowly into our garage when the brakes suddenly applied and a message appeared on the screen something like “brakes applied in Autopark car is too close to object in front.” The car was about 30” from the front garage wall which we need to park within 24” of in order to close the garage door. Again the car does not have Autopark.

After my wife’s incident about a week days ago, I turned off all the Autopilot functions, and we have had no additional problems. Has anyone else had these issues, and if so, what was done about them?

 

[jjrandorin]

In 2018, there was no "base autopilot". That package didnt exist then. If you bought it from tesla, they may have added base autopilot, but if you bought it from somewhere else, its likely what you have is enhanced autopilot (EAP) not "autopilot".

EAP has most features of FSD, which would explain what you are seeing.

 

[RickV]

In 2018, there was no "base autopilot". That package didnt exist then. If you bought it from tesla, they may have added base autopilot, but if you bought it from somewhere else, its likely what you have is enhanced autopilot (EAP) not "autopilot".

EAP has most features of FSD, which would explain what you are seeing.

 

[RickV]

The car was purchased from a dealer. I was using the term "base" rhetorically. Per the Software description on screen, the car has only the four functions in the "Autopilot Safety Features package" noted above. There is no option for Autopark or Autosteer in the Autopilot section onscreen and no indication of EAP anywhere I have seen. I tried several times to duplicate the "Put Hands on Wheel" message by taking both hands off the wheel with all Autopilot functions turned on with no success. These appear to be random, hit or miss issues.

 

[jjrandorin]

The "Active safety features" on a model 3, should be (according to tesla's website):

Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability | Tesla Support

Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system that enhances safety and convenience behind the wheel. When used properly, Autopilot reduces your overall workload as a driver. Learn more about Autopilot.

www.tesla.com

I havent heard of a car with only active safety features telling someone to put their hands on the wheel, but as you can see anove, obstacle aware acceleration is part of the standard safety package "on all tesla vehicles made after september 2014".

 

[RickV]

Thanks for the information JJ! Very helpful. Current status: As of now all Autopilot functions have been turned off for 10 days except Automatic Emergency Braking which for some reason has been turning itself back on??? Two days ago I did a power cycle on the vehicle which I stumbled on in the owners manual. The manual states "If your vehicle exhibits unusual behavior or a nondescript alert (?) is present you can try power cycling the vehicle to potentially resolve the issue. It is done by Controls > Safety & Security > Power Off and waiting for at least 2 minutes to open the door or touch the brake pedal. It seemed to work as we have been driving the car daily since with no (knock on wood) further problems. I didn't buy the car for Autopilot so for now I'm leaving it off, but someday curiosity may get the best of me and I'll turn it back on. My current thinking is that while the car went through the used car system: trade in, wholesaling, test drives, salespersons trying out, etc. its software got corrupted and needed to be purged. So for now all is good. Hope some find this useful.