Elon Musk Pauses Full Self-Driving Beta

Tesla Briefly Pauses Rollout of Full Self-Driving Beta 10.3

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, announced via Twitter that the company has temporarily withdrawn the most recent iteration of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta software. This action occurred shortly after the software’s initial release.

Temporary Rollback Due to Identified Issues

“Seeing some issues with 10.3, so rolling back to 10.2 temporarily,” Musk stated on Sunday. He further clarified that such occurrences are inherent to beta software development.

Comprehensive testing across all hardware configurations and driving scenarios is impossible through internal quality assurance alone. Therefore, a public beta program is essential for identifying potential problems.

Regulatory Scrutiny of Tesla’s Driver Assistance Systems

This development coincides with increased scrutiny from regulators regarding the safety of Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance systems, collectively known as “Autopilot.”

Several incidents involving Tesla vehicles colliding with stationary emergency responder vehicles while Autopilot was active have prompted these investigations. Autopilot is a standard feature included with all Tesla vehicles.

FSD: An Additional Cost

The FSD software package, offering a more extensive suite of automated driving capabilities, is available as an optional upgrade for an additional $10,000.

Important Reminder: Not Truly Self-Driving

Despite the name, Tesla vehicles are not capable of fully autonomous driving. The systems remain classified as advanced driver-assistance systems, requiring drivers to maintain complete attention while in use.

Recent research conducted by MIT indicates that drivers may exhibit reduced attentiveness when utilizing FSD, potentially increasing safety risks.

Initial Release and Subsequent Delay

Version 10.3 was initially scheduled for release to select Tesla owners on Friday. However, Musk announced a one-day delay on Saturday.

“Regression in some left turns at traffic lights found by internal QA in 10.3,” he tweeted. “Fix in work, probably releasing tomorrow.”

User Reports of Anomalies

Beta users who received version 10.3 reported experiencing multiple Forward Collision Warnings even in the absence of any immediate hazards. Some vehicles even initiated automatic braking unnecessarily.

Drivers also shared concerns on social media, including the disappearance of the Autosteer option, malfunctions with traffic-aware cruise control, and instances of Autopilot triggering unwarranted panic responses.

Musk acknowledged these issues and confirmed that the company is actively working to resolve them.