Tesla Cybertruck crash into a pole in Nevada was in self-driving mode: owner
In a crash involving a Tesla Cybertruck in self-driving mode this week, the owner used social media to share his concerns about the possible safety issues with the vehicle’s software.
Jonathan Challinger, a drone software developer from Florida, according to his X profile, shared a post on Elon Musk’s social media site about the crash on Sunday, including a photo. He claimed that the Telsa vehicle, while using its Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature, failed to merge out of a lane that was ending, hit the curb and crashed into a pole in Reno, Nevada.
“Don’t make the same mistake I did. Pay attention. It is easy to get complacent now - don’t,” the driver Jonathan Challinger said on social media platform X, tagging Musk, which he has since deleted. “Spread my message and help save others from the same fate or far worse.”
When reached by the Reno Gazette-Journal, part of the Paste BN Network on Thursday morning, Challinger confirmed the Cybertruck was in self-driving mode. He declined to say if he received a response from Tesla after tagging the company in his post on X.
“I’d rather not discuss it at this time,” he said.
Asked why he didn’t take the Cybertruck out of self-driving mode as it veered off the road, Challinger hung up.
For years, Tesla has faced criticism and investigations over the safety of its advanced driver assistance software following several crashes, including a fatal one, according to Reuters.
Last month, Musk said people were skeptical of the technology and should try it now, touting the “immense improvement” in the safety profile of its latest iteration, Version 13.
Tesla did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the crash.
The company’s safety approach appears to rely primarily on cameras, making it cheaper but also riskier in challenging visibility conditions, such as heavy rain, snow or fog, according to experts.
The accident shows problems with FSD’s nighttime detection abilities, data mapping and vision-only approach, researcher Troy Teslike, who closely tracks Tesla sales and technologies, said on X.
“FSD doesn’t seem ready for driverless operation yet,” he said.
Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.