Tesla Will Tweak Autopilot to Reduce Crashes, Liability, Bad Press: Report

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Earlier this summer, headlines flew fast and furious around Tesla’s semi-autonomous Autopilot driving system, and the often hazy crashes associated with it.

Now, the electric automaker plans to tweak the system to cut down on driver misuse, according to a report in Elektrek.

The May crash that put Tesla’s technology under a microscope was billed as the first fatal accident involving a self-driving car. In the wake of Joshua Brown’s death in a Tesla Model S — a crash attributed in part to the Autopilot’s failure to recognize a tractor-trailer — other crashes cropped up, many of them the result of bad driving, or failure to understand the system.

The incidents compelled the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and a U.S. Senate safety committee to launch investigations into the technology. Several groups called on Tesla to shelve its technology until it becomes fool-proof. In response, Tesla hopes to people-proof its Autopilot.

Elektrek claims that the automaker will add safety features to the system to avoid a repeat of those earlier incidents. Essentially, the updates will prevent drivers from accessing certain features if the vehicle thinks they’re not following the rules.

All Autopilot-equipped Teslas periodically harass their owners, reminding them to keep their hands on the wheel when Autopilot is engaged. Ignore multiple warnings, and the vehicle aborts shuts down Autopilot. Now, a version 8.0 software update adds a new response: not only will the vehicle shut down the Autopilot, it will also prevent the driver from re-engaging the system. At least, not until the vehicle is stopped and its transmission placed in “Park.”

Use the system correctly, and there’s no need for the software to lock you out.

The automaker hasn’t announced when it will make the upgrade available, but the publication expects its release “imminently.”

[Image: David Marek/The Truth About Cars]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Markogts Markogts on Aug 30, 2016

    That's what happens when there are two drivers. Simply put, we need to transition from level 1 to level 4 automation immediately. Intermediate steps are too dangerous in that there is no clear indication who's driving.

  • The Doctor The Doctor on Aug 30, 2016

    Looks like someone has made a mercantile calculation of liability.

  • CoastieLenn No idea why, but nothing about a 4Runner excites me post-2004. To me, they're peak "try-hard", even above the Wrangler and Gladiator.
  • AZFelix A well earned anniversary.Can they also attend to the Mach-E?
  • Jalop1991 The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged due to suspected improper assembly by the supplier. Over time, partial engagement can cause damage to the intermediate shaft splines. Damaged shaft splines may result in unintended vehicle movement while in Park if the parking brake is not engagedGee, my Chrysler van automatically engages the parking brake when we put it in Park. Do you mean to tell me that the idjits at Kia, and the idjit buyers, couldn't figure out wanting this in THEIR MOST EXPENSIVE VEHICLE????
  • Dukeisduke I've been waiting to see if they were going to do something special for the 60th Anniversary. I was four years old when the Mustang was introduced. I can remember that one of our neighbors bought a '65 coupe (they were all titled as '65 models, even the '64-1/2 cars), and it's the first one I can remember seeing. In the '90s I knew an older gentleman that owned a '64-1/2 model coupe with the 260 V8.
  • SCE to AUX "...the complete Mustang model lineup to peruse"Will the fake Mustang show up, too?
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