Tesla launched the highly ambitious Robotaxi project on Sunday in Austin, Texas amidst much “glare” and scrutiny. While a significant section of the audience was in awe of Tesla’s full self-driving (FSD) technology being implemented commercially, others remained sceptical.
A large section of media and social media influencers came down heavily on Tesla after multiple users reported critical failures in the Robotaxi related directly to the FSD. One of the most significant failures highlighted on social media is the sudden braking of the car. A video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Facts Chaser shows the Robotaxi suddenly slamming hard on the brakes without any warning.
Tesla Robotaxi slams brakes hard: Here’s why
The entire incident was recorded by an influencer with no obstruction apparent in the video. The passenger seated at the rear jerked forward and their belongings were thrown to the floor. The passenger was shocked to the core who said the car “braked for no reason”. The reason for this glitch is speculated to be the sun glare. It is suspected that when the glares from the sun falls on the FSD sensors, automatic emergency brakes (AEB) take effect suddenly.
The X account Fact Chaser has posted other materials to support this theory. In a separate post it is claimed that Grok, the artificial intelligence (AI) tool of X stated that Tesla’s FSD struggles with sun glare, often causing sudden braking or disengagements. In fact, this problem is also noted in Tesla’s own manual. Grok further adds that Waymo’s lidar and radar technology is likely to handle glare better, with examples showing robust performance.
The Fact Chaser further adds that according to Grok, by 2022, Tesla had racked up over 750 complaints to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about sudden phantom braking incidents. Grok notes that Elon Musk removing radar, shunning lidar, and transitioning to cameras only is why Tesla has not solved its chronic sudden braking problem.
Over the last few years, several media investigations have cited reasons such as transition to a vision-only system, sensor and software limitations, and software calibration and updates as few of the problems related to Tesla’s FSD.
It’s interesting to note that both Grok and Tesla share the same owner — Elon Musk — who has been bullish about Tesla’s FSD for a long time. These and other incidents related to Robotaxi and other Tesla’s FSD are currently being investigated by NHTSA, the auto safety regulator in the USA.
