Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Why is Autopilot always trying to Kill me?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
...the issue is very serious...

You are not appreciating the gravity of the issue.

If a baby keeps falling off the table, the stairs and get burned..., that is big a problem.

But that problem is not with the baby: At that stage, a baby is not expected to speak, stand, walk, talk or defend for itself.

The problem is the babysitter who keeps saying that "I can't believe that the baby keeps falling, why can't it just stand straight up like a normal human? It's a huge problem!"

And that's what you are doing in this thread.

Autopilot gains its competency incrementally, little by little. If there are some scenarios that it can't handle like the ones you cited in this thread, that's the maximum it can do for its stage of development for now.

These scenarios will be solved in the future but in the meantime, enjoy other scenarios that Autopilot has gained its competencies.
 
Last edited:
When I first started using AP1 3 years ago, it was scary. It would accelerate aggressively, brake late and not slow down for turns.

Today, it's great. I love it. I use it every chance I can.
It accelerates gradually and brakes gently like a normal person would. It slows down at the beginning of turns then resumes to the set speed at the end of the turn.
It also stays centered in the lane far better than the Pilot Assist II system in my 2018 Volvo.

Sure there are situations it doesn't do well in. Just remember what they are and either pay extra attention or don't use it there.
Don't be like the guy that knew AP had problems at a certain section of his commute but still continued to use it there and got into an accident.
 
I think you guys are misinterpreting my intentions. Yes, the title of the thread is clickbaity, but the issue is very serious.


As a new Tesla customer, you want me to just sit back and not say anything when you acknowledge the 2 issues I mentioned happens to you "EVERY DAY"!?

I'm not one to just sit back and stay silent.

That's the difference, brah.

Tesla has stated how to use the system. If people choose to use the system outside of those parameters, then they need to take responsibility in how it operates.

I used Autopilot for a couple hundred miles over the last two days. Works very well IN THE INTENDED USE CASES. (Divided highway with limited ramps.)
 
I think you guys are misinterpreting my intentions. Yes, the title of the thread is clickbaity, but the issue is very serious.


As a new Tesla customer, you want me to just sit back and not say anything when you acknowledge the 2 issues I mentioned happens to you "EVERY DAY"!?

I'm not one to just sit back and stay silent.

That's the difference, brah.

Ok. You have spoken and now you have been given lots of advice on how to use the system and what you were doing wrong. The real question now is, are you going to change your usage of the system?
 
Hey guys,

I'm a new 2019 Model S (raven) Performance owner, and autopilot is continually trying to kill me. Nearly every time I've enabled it, within 10 to 15 minutes I have to take over due to the car not being able to figure out how to navigate a situation and endangering my life.

1) Driving on a highway (not an interstate, but a road that has on-coming traffic). The car in front of me merges into the middle lane and breaks to make a left turn, my Tesla mistakenly thinks it's the car in front of me and slams on the breaks?!

2) Driving on a interstate (huge 4-lanes), I'm in the right lane. The right side of the right lane widens a lot, so instead of just aligning to the left side of my lane, autopilot starts ping ponging between the left and right side of the lane!?

.. and SO many more examples!

Its design is getting much better. Tesla doesnt care about the vehicle behind it and it's working perfectly as designed. It's to stop the vehicle incase a stopped car is on the highway. Also know as the swoop move in the insurance industry. This is to protect you during this exact situation. Every car manufacturer in the industry has yet to perfect this problem. Detecting stopped objects when the vehicle its following changes lanes quickly. I cant stand seeing these fantom breaking issue complaints. Its here to stay get used to it.

 
Its design
Great video of analogy of whats happened to these fire trucks stopped on highways. Its an eye opener to those upon buying these cars, drinking the Kool Aid the salesman, You Tubers, Tesla Referral hounds and self professed have dished out.

I'm a new 2019 Model S (raven) Performance owner,

Unfortunately for you OP, you have fallen into this program thinking your car does a lot more currently then it truly does safely and your not happy about it, I get that. My suggestion today is you read your manual again slowly(sit in your car in the garage, AC on perhaps and read). Now that you have driven the car and probably had some issues you find unsettling, you'll understand what is happening if you read the manual.

Set your following distance to 5 on your stalk also, as you get better attuned to the system, then maybe you can lower it to another number. It seems elementary, guess what? it is. It worked for me and I rarely go below 3. Don't care either, I want to live to buy another Tesla and see my grand kids especially.

I just hope somebody in another Tesla, that does not know the limitations of the car hits me. The odds are stacking now, of two Tesla's having a collision. That'll be a day of reckoning.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: holmgang
I think this is a casualty of Tesla "marketing". No one (average buyer) buying AP believes they are plunking down $X000 to buy AP-beta features that really don't do what one thinks AP does. Is there any newbie that comes here stating their car isn't a "high-tech" marvel? No, because they bought a "high-tech"car, nevermind that the unfinished tech can get you killed. It's easy to refer to the manual after the purchase, but that is not the time to realize that you paid for an unfinished product.
 
I think this is a casualty of Tesla "marketing". No one (average buyer) buying AP believes they are plunking down $X000 to buy AP-beta features that really don't do what one thinks AP does. Is there any newbie that comes here stating their car isn't a "high-tech" marvel? No, because they bought a "high-tech"car, nevermind that the unfinished tech can get you killed. It's easy to refer to the manual after the purchase, but that is not the time to realize that you paid for an unfinished product.
Geez,, to think you can’t take marketing pitches at face value?!?!? Until Tesla, no manufacturer ever exaggerated product capabilities! Darn Tesla! ;)
 
Certainly in the US its how business is done. The widget does it all. You'll love it. Cleans the floors and shines them also in one step.
Exactly. I don't love it, but it is the standard here. It's as old as Caveat Emptor. And some famous PT Barnum quote "There's a ...... born every second".

The alternative? Some "agency" that controls truth in advertising down to the most minute detail. Not sure any of us want that. In a way, forums like this provide a very valuable fact checking mechanism. And, even here, you have to get past the noise, the click bait, the ulterior motives, and look for the truth-tellers.
 
for the truth-tellers.

I agree with your point completely, but this is not publishers clearing house stating your the winner of 50 million $ just to sell a magazine or two. This is lives that are stake and unfortunately people are lead to believe this product conducts itself in a way that it can't currently.

Not by Tesla so much either.
Quite a bit by the user themselves.

I get it- admittedly also it took me a while to fully get it, most get it, but there are a few that don't yet, those are the ones we should all be worried about. This isn't an argument either, its a reality, that's kinda scary reality as well.

I just want everyone who buys this product and products like it to be highly informed on its great benefits and it shortfalls if you can call them shortfalls. Mis-guided exuberance perhaps on the part of the users, NOT pre-reading and understanding the manual fully.

Thats why this car is a thinking persons car, you have to read the manual, understand it then drive the car. I'm sure they have done studies that less then 10% of the driving public reads the manual at all ever. Everyone already knows how to drive; right.

Really the excitement has been lost in that the real deal here is the CAKE-Frosted, your driving an electric car, the rest of this stuff is sprinkles on the cake.

The whole point is to get away from fossil fuels eventually, using the sun to generate etc etc etc. Let's not lose sight of the Frosted CAKE.

How do you keep a product out in front of the public? You innovate, keep it fresh. AP, FSD,Enhanced Summon, Karaoke. Keep it out in front.

This thing has to survive, if not there would be a lot of unhappy faces stuck on a lot of roads out there.

Safe Travels and please read the manual.
 
Last edited:
Who reads the manual before they buy a car?

That's the problem with today's generation. Consumers might think that they do not need to read because all the learnings are osmosis and magically transferred to their brain seamlessly. That might happen in the future but for now, we still have to read.

Not necessarily just the manual but also, whatever we click on the virtual button on the consent screens in our cars:

It's very clear that I can count that there are 3 words spelling "Beta" below:

40GLC6D.jpg



On this Autosteer screen below: There's a consent with 4 repeating words "Beta":

0GpIyeh.jpg


Also, the scenario showing traffic lights in this thread is a direct violation of its terms of service because the consent specifically says "no cross-traffic".

It's about time to stop singing to the tune of victimhood while purposefully violating Tesla's terms of service.
 
It's about time to stop singing to the tune of victimhood while purposefully violating Tesla's terms of service.

As mentioned several times on this thread already, I was about to disengage autopilot as I approached the intersection when the problem occurred. The previous 5-10 minutes on this road had no traffic lights or off ramps or intersections etc.
 
Rule #1: Never ever use AP anywhere but on the Eisenhower Interstate System and only in good weather and light traffic.

You will live to tell the story to your grandkids:)

Summon shmummon, neighborhood driving, just gimmicks to make money.

Love my one camera 2015 Model S, I have been witness to the AP evolution since the time it used to follow trucks into exits.
 
Hey guys,

I'm a new 2019 Model S (raven) Performance owner, and autopilot is continually trying to kill me. Nearly every time I've enabled it, within 10 to 15 minutes I have to take over due to the car not being able to figure out how to navigate a situation and endangering my life.

1) Driving on a highway (not an interstate, but a road that has on-coming traffic). The car in front of me merges into the middle lane and breaks to make a left turn, my Tesla mistakenly thinks it's the car in front of me and slams on the breaks?!

2) Driving on a interstate (huge 4-lanes), I'm in the right lane. The right side of the right lane widens a lot, so instead of just aligning to the left side of my lane, autopilot starts ping ponging between the left and right side of the lane!?

.. and SO many more examples!

NVM. This whole thread just rubs me wrong, but I'll let it go.
 
Last edited: