Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' Gets Mixed Reviews The software includes a suite of driver-assist features that are designed to enable cars to drive themselves in the future.
By Emily Rella Edited by Emily Rella
Drivers who utilize Tesla's Full Self-Driving have mixed reviews, being simultaneously impressed and alarmed by it, according to a new report from CNN, which relied on interviews with vehicle owners who use the software and a review of videos posted to social media.
The software includes a suite of driver-assist features that are designed to enable cars to drive themselves in the future. At the moment, cars utilizing FSD are still not completely autonomous, but can do more than other vehicles offering similar services.
In CNN's review of driver concerns, a few issues were identified. Some drivers say vehicles with FSD enabled ignore "road closure signs" and either try to steer around them or crash into them. Some say their cars brake unexpectedly or plot courses directly into other objects like poles and rocks. Still, there was plenty of praise for the features, too, and those interviewed by CNN seemed optimistic about FSD's future.
As CNN notes, only about 1,000 beta testers currently have FSD capabilities, and some of them report that they must occasionally intervene to stop their vehicles from getting into collisions or breaking the law.
Earlier this year, Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk admitted that FSD is "not great."
"FSD Beta 9.2 is actually not great imo, but Autopilot/AI team is rallying to improve as fast as possible. We're trying to have a single stack for both highway & city streets, but it requires massive NN retraining," he wrote on Twitter in August.
For $10,000 or $199 a month, Tesla drivers can get a Full Self-Driving capability package. FSD Beta is only available to some drivers who previously purchased FSD, as well as Tesla employees. Most of the drivers agree to test the beta program privately, though a few are given permission to review the experience online. The beta program features new or revised functions to add to the vehicle's premium driver assistance features.
Last week, Tesla recalled a version of FSD because drivers said they were receiving false warnings of impending forward collisions and experiencing automatic emergency braking.
