The controversial “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) beta mode has resulted in a Tesla Model Y crashing in Los Angeles, likely to be the first incident involving the electric car maker’s driver assist feature.
No one was injured in the crash, but the vehicle was reported: as “severely damaged”.
The crash was reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has multiple overlapping investigations into Tesla’s Autopilot system, reports The Verge.
According to the car owner’s report, “the vehicle was in the FSD Beta mode and while taking a left turn the car went into the wrong lane and I was hit by another driver in the lane next to my lane”.
“The car gave an alert 1/2 way through the turn so I tried to turn the wheel to avoid it from going into the wrong lane but the car by itself took control and forced itself into the incorrect lane creating an unsafe maneuver putting everyone involved at risk. car is severely damaged on the driver side”.
“A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment a” nor is it likely they will after disbanding their press department in 2019″, the report said on Friday.
Last month, Tesla temporarily pulled back the latest version of its FSD beta software less than a day after its release owing to false crash warnings and other issues.
In a tweet, Musk said the rollback was due to “some issues” with version 10.3.
“Seeing some issues with 10.3, so rolling back to 10.2 temporarily.”
Musk later announced the upcoming release of Tesla’s FSD Beta 10.4 update.
Tesla FSD beta aims to enable Tesla vehicles to virtually drive themselves both on highways and city streets by simply entering a location in the navigation system. However, it is still considered a level 2 driver assist since it requires driver supervision at all times.
The driver remains responsible for the vehicle and needs to keep their hands on the steering wheel and be ready to take control.
There have been several Tesla Autopilot-related crashes currently under investigation by the US NHTSA.
