Tesla Cybertruck Reportedly Crashes Into Light Pole While Using FSD | Carscoops
The owner acknowledged his prior complacency before the accident and hopes his experience will serve as a cautionary tale for others.
A distracted Tesla Cybertruck driver allowed his vehicle to collide with a light pole.
He accepted responsibility for the incident and cautioned about how easy it is to become complacent.
This event raises concerns about Tesla's plans to introduce autonomous taxis this year.
The driver of a Tesla Cybertruck reported that he lost concentration, causing the truck to go over a curb and crash into a light pole. He stated that the vehicle was operating on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) V13 software at the time. While he accepts full accountability for the crash, this incident brings to light a critical question: how close are we really to achieving fully self-driving cars?
Tesla’s FSD (Supervised) is reportedly close to reaching full autonomy—at least as per Elon Musk's assertions that it will be ready later this year for limited taxi services. However, this crash in Florida does not lend credence to that optimism. According to the truck’s owner, Jonathan Challinger, who reported the incident on X, the crash occurred when FSD failed to detect the necessity to merge into another lane.
Instead of merging, the truck mounted the curb and subsequently hit a light pole. The damage was substantial and likely signifies the end of this Cybertruck's journey. Fortunately, Challinger was uninjured, apart from possibly a blow to his pride.
“Clearly, I made a big mistake. Don’t repeat my error. Stay alert. It can happen. I keep a close watch on Tesla and FSD and hadn’t heard of any accidents involving V13 before this incident. It’s easy to become complacent now—don’t,” he shared on X.
"So my @Tesla @cybertruck crashed into a curb and then a light pole on v13.2.4. Thank you @Tesla for designing the best passive safety in the world. I walked away unscathed. It failed to merge out of a lane that was ending (there was no vehicle to my left) and… pic.twitter.com/vpT4AGz8jZ— Jonathan Challinger (@MrChallinger) February 9, 2025
This entire situation certainly raises additional doubts regarding Elon Musk’s claims that Tesla will roll out fully autonomous taxis in a matter of months. If a Cybertruck, which has accumulated extensive data from real-world driving, can completely overlook a curb and light pole, the prospects could be more precarious for a new vehicle utilizing nearly the same technology.
Kudos to the Tesla owner for admitting his lack of attention. However, he also serves as a prime example of how Level 2 semi-autonomous driving systems—regardless of the brand—can mislead drivers into a false sense of security.
Image Credit: Jonathon Challinger / X
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Tesla Cybertruck Reportedly Crashes Into Light Pole While Using FSD | Carscoops
The owner acknowledged that he had been complacent prior to the crash and wishes for his experience to serve as a cautionary tale for others.