A Tesla equipped with the latest Full Self-Driving technology, in Supervised mode, suddenly deviated from its course and flipped the vehicle upside down, resulting in a frightening crash that the driver claimed was impossible to prevent.
While numerous incidents involving Tesla’s Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology have occurred, it is essential to note that the vast majority of these crashes can be attributed to human error: either the driver was not fully engaged or unable to intervene in time.
When a Tesla equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology encounters a crash scenario, it often fails to detect obstacles on the road, such as vehicles, resulting in collisions, even though the driver has ample reaction time if they were paying attention.
Regardless of its designation, Full Self-Driving technology is currently regarded as a stage two driver assistance system, not an absolute self-driving capability. Can autonomous vehicles truly ensure safety without human oversight? The requirement is that drivers remain constantly vigilant, with the capability to take control whenever needed; hence, Tesla recently introduced ‘Assisted’ mode, elevating its autonomy features.
When using Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD), the driver remains fully accountable for their actions on the road, including any crashes that may occur.
The manufacturer has incorporated driver monitoring technologies to enhance driver awareness, yet this approach is consistently undermined.
Tesla recently published a statement on X, cautioning drivers to simply “look ahead and watch the road” when employing Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology.
As Wally, a Tesla owner from Alabama, sat idling on the street in Toney, his vehicle suddenly lurched off course earlier this year.
Wally acquired a brand-new 2025 Tesla Model 3 with Full Self-Driving capabilities (FSD), realizing that he needed to focus on more pressing matters. On our conversation yesterday, he noted that he frequently utilized
I utilised Full-Spectrum Driving (FSD) extensively, refining the probabilities as I gained familiarity, which enabled me to meticulously curate my FSD settings and expertise through dedicated YouTube movie analysis. I would often feel invigorated, which could prompt a spontaneous trip to Waffle Home, where I’d happily settle in and unwind; similarly, this sense of joy could propel me through my morning drive to the office.
Exactly two months prior, he was piloting his Tesla equipped with Full Self-Driving capabilities when it suddenly veered sharply off the road without warning. The driver shared footage from his Tesla’s dashcam that captured the moment of the accident.
Despite his attention being focused on the situation, Wally confessed that he hadn’t had enough time to respond.
While commuting to work, I activated the advanced driver-assistance feature of Full Self-Driving mode. As the car hurtled towards the road’s edge, the wheel suddenly spun out of control, sending it careening off course to crash into a nearby tree before flipping onto its roof. Time was running out before I could even think about reacting.
The vehicle had overturned in the aftermath of the collision, landing on its roof.
Fortunately, Wally narrowly escaped with only a minor chin injury following the accident, but it remained a terrifying ordeal for him.
As my chin broke open, I required immediate medical attention and received 7 stitches to close the wound. As I hung there, my disorientation was palpable; I stared at the red droplets trickling down the glass solar roof, struggling to pinpoint the origin of the blood that seemed to emanate from nowhere. As I unfastened my seatbelt and settled onto the cushioning within the two front seats, my phone’s crash detection feature triggered, alerting me that first responders were en route. The trauma of the event left my physical being reeling in a state of utter disarray.
When a Tesla driver reported his neighbor emerging from their home to check on his well-being, and local firefighters subsequently arriving at the scene to rescue him from his overturned Model 3.
Wally noted that he was utilizing Tesla’s FSD software version 13.2.8, a recent advancement in their autonomous driving capabilities, specifically designed for Hardware 4. Tesla was asked to provide information from his car’s onboard computer to help him better understand the events that transpired.
Electrek’s Take
As you navigate the future of autonomous driving with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD), there are moments when this technology will truly become unsettlingly realistic. Tesla acknowledges that Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities may occasionally experience errors within a single second, emphasizing the importance of driver attention at all times.
While listening may lead to correcting mistakes, this isn’t always the case?
As the motive force had mere seconds to respond, reacting might have exacerbated the situation, potentially leading to further complications rather than effectively reversing course to collide with the tree head-on.
In situations where accountability is necessary, pinpointing the root cause can prove challenging. As instructed by Tesla, he meticulously observed the streets ahead.
During a drive last year, I experienced an unsettling occurrence with my Model 3 on Full Self-Drive (FSD) mode: it suddenly turned left without provocation, as if trying to take an unscheduled exit on the highway. Despite once having ambitions to assume a management role, my eagerness almost led me to veer off course, literally almost crashing into another car in my own lane.
The circumstances surrounding Wally’s situation remain obscure. It’s possible that FSD thought it might be about to collide with something due to the shadows on the ground.
As captured by the front-facing camera, this snippet shows the scene mere seconds before Full Self-Driving (FSD) took a sharp turn to the left.
It is still just a hypothesis for now, and that’s all.
While Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology has made significant strides, complacency among drivers may be contributing to a rise in accidents, including some potentially catastrophic incidents where FSD seems solely responsible and human intervention appears impossible.
That’s even scarier.
