Micheal, a Cybertruck owner, reports that he recently took a long road trip relying on Tesla’s full self-driving software; however, to his dismay, he mentions that his Cybertruck in FSD continued driving 90 MPH into a construction zone.
This is despite traffic, other trucks on the road, and a sign that lowered the speed limit to 55 mph.
Micheal states that the FSD software completely failed to recognize the reduced speed limit and continued to go down the highway at high speeds.
Micheal says the vehicle did not attempt to slow down until he intervened.
In addition to this construction zone failure, Michael says he has noticed multiple issues with the latest FSD software shipping with the Cybertruck.
Including some capabilities that have gotten worse since Tesla moved to a pure vision system that eliminated the front-facing radar.
The worried Cybertruck owner shared his story on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum.
He writes…
“Recently, I went on a several thousand-mile road trip. Unfortunately, while using the supervised full self-driving feature, my Cybertruck maintained a speed of ninety miles per hour in traffic, including trucks, instead of slowing down to fifty-five as the signs indicated in the construction zone.
It didn't bother me at all once I realized that the camera failed to detect the decrease in speed limit. (Perhaps because the signs are always orange instead of the usual black and white in construction zones?) "
Driving 90 mph in a construction zone is definitely not ideal and raises questions regarding Tesla’s soon-to-be-launched Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.
Tesla’s FSD system might be able to handle a lot of situations, but it takes one blatant error on the software’s part to cause outrage and a lot of pushback.
To mitigate the risks associated with the initial rollout of the robotaxi program, Tesla is hiring remote vehicle operators who can control the vehicles from a command center.
This should help reduce the risks of the initial rollout; however, it raises the question of how involved the remote FSD operators will be.
If the operator is overseeing the vehicle at all times, then why doesn’t Tesla just put them in the driver's seat? However, if one remote robotaxi operator is overseeing multiple vehicles, there could be situations where the software doesn’t make the right decision.
Given that Tesla’s Cyber Cab doesn’t have any steering wheel or pedals, it will be almost impossible for the passenger to intervene in a timely manner.
In a few months, we will have more insights into Tesla’s robotaxi service. In the meantime, Michael notes that Tesla's transition to an entirely vision-based strategy results in the vehicle losing some features found in earlier FSD versions and Tesla models that relied on multiple sensors.
Micheal shared a situation he faced on the road where he said his Cybertruck, using the latest version of FSD, would have ended up in another accident without his intervention.
Micheal reports that he was driving on the left lane, and two trucks were driving in close succession next to him to the right.
The vehicle in front suddenly slammed on the brakes, and due to the close distance between the two vehicles, the only thing the truck behind could do to avoid the accident was swerve to the left.
This means he’ll either hit the truck in front of him or, by swerving to the left, end up hitting Michael’s Cybertruck.
However, employing his human intuition, Michael says he was able to see the first vehicle slamming on the brakes and quickly realized that the only option the second vehicle had was to come into his lane and proactively move to the left to avoid the accident.
Micheal says the FSD software isn’t able to predict the actions of other drivers on the road as effectively as he can, which increases the risk on the road.
He writes…
“Also, regarding self-driving, I had to intervene a few times to avoid accidents. This is because our vehicles can not predict what other drivers might do during certain circumstances.
Specifically, when I saw a trucker pull in front of another trucker and hit his brakes, I knew the only move for the trucker behind to avoid the accident was to swerve to the left, which is where I was.
I, of course, moved to the left as did the trucker, successfully avoiding the accident. I'm pretty confident that the trucker behind was very happy that I did this as well since he had no realistic options.”
Finally, Michael says Tesla drivers should monitor FSD closely when behind the wheel so that it doesn’t cause an accident and generate negative press for Tesla.
He writes…
“This is just an example of why we must diligently stay awake so that our vehicles don't get any bad press or worse.”
Looking at the comments, several other Cybertruck owners shared their frustration with missed speed limit signs in construction zones.
A fellow Cybertruck owner, Bruce from Arizona, writes…
“My Cybertruck ignores construction zone speed limits; it sees them but thinks they are not applicable. I slow down to a reasonable speed. However, the flow of traffic generally doesn't slow either unless you know who is parked along the road.”
Another Cybertruck owner from Canada agrees with this sentiment, writing,
“My Cybertruck rarely recognizes speed limits correctly. I'm in Canada. It interprets "110" as "70" and then drives at 100.
It sees "90" as "80" and "50" as "30", and it drives 57, except when it thinks “50” is “20".
I drove for 3 hours on the highway and passed many 110 signs - dozens of them. It never got a single one right.
I'm frequently adjusting the speed wheel while on FSD. It certainly doesn't comprehend other speed signs, like "30 when lights are flashing." Yet, it seems the latest FSD either notices 'No right turn on red' or has learned from my constant interventions at that particular intersection.”
A third Cybertruck owner from Nevada also shares his frustration with FSD and speed limits.
He writes..
“I agree with the randomness of FSD concerning speed limit signs. It recognizes regular signs about 75% of the time and either ignores signs at other times or chooses random speeds to drive. I can't determine which. FSD puts me at high risk of speeding violations, as I tend to trust the AI when it is driving.”
Overall, looking at the comments, it doesn’t appear that Tesla’s FSD software is polished enough in its current form to operate a robotaxi. However, please let me know what you think in the comments.
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For more information, check out: A Tesla Cybertruck Owner Says Dog Mode Has a Safety Issue – Elaborates, “Dogs Can Easily Open the Door from the Inside”
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.