Tesla's Full-Self Driving Faces Criticism for Inability to Detect Train Crossings | Carscoops

      Drivers have had to manually intervene with FSD to ensure their vehicles stop at active railroad crossings.

      18 hours ago

      by Michael Gauthier

      Tesla’s FSD reportedly struggles to accurately identify active railway crossings.

      Vehicles may not recognize flashing lights and lowering gates.

      Experts suggest that Tesla may lack sufficient data to train its FSD system properly.

      Despite being marketed as Full-Self Driving (Supervised), Tesla's system is actually semi-autonomous at Level 2, necessitating human engagement and readiness to react if required. This is justified given the technology's limitations and imperfections.

      This was again highlighted by NBC News, which reported that Full-Self Driving seems to have difficulty recognizing railroad crossings. The network even captured on video a Model Y approaching an active crossing that needed to be stopped manually.

      More: Driver Blames FSD After Tesla Drives Onto Tracks And Gets Hit By A Train

      It appears the railroad crossing's signals had only recently activated, as the gates were not even fully lowered. This could explain why the vehicle did not autonomously stop.

      Nonetheless, NBC News spoke to numerous Tesla drivers who reported issues at crossings. They also found several complaints in online forums alongside videos showing vehicles experiencing problems at these locations.

      The network contacted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which stated, “We are aware of the incidents and have been in communication with the manufacturer.” They added that the “agency continually analyzes consumer complaints to determine if there might be a potential trend in vehicle safety defects.”

      The reasons behind Tesla’s Full-Self Driving system reportedly struggling at railroad crossings are not entirely clear, but some experts speculate that the company did not have enough examples to adequately train their software for the various configurations found across the country.

      Despite this, one would expect the system to at least recognize flashing railway lights. However, in one video, the system seems to prioritize a distant green traffic light, leading the car to attempt crossing as the gate descends.

      The issues appear to be inconsistent, but accidents have already been documented. NBC mentioned an incident in June where a Tesla reportedly turned left onto train tracks and was struck by a train shortly thereafter.

      Tesla and Elon Musk have not commented on this report, although the outspoken billionaire did share a message on his social media stating “FSD Supervised is now available in Australia and New Zealand.” However, users might want to exercise caution at train crossings.

      Note: The lead image is from an incident that occurred earlier this summer (Photo Spitlers Garage & Towing’s / Facebook)