--- title: "Tesla Analyst Tries Full Self-Driving, Has to Stop It From Crashing" description: "Certain Accident For roughly a decade now, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made largely empty promises about \"solving\" autonomous driving. The company's erroneously called \"Full Self-Driving\" driver assistance software in particular has repeatedly been in the limelight for endangering Tesla owners daring enough to use it on public roads. And according to Truist Securities analyst […]" date: "2024-07-30" modified: "2024-07-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-analyst-full-self-driving-crashing" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "full self-driving" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Analyst Tries Full Self-Driving, Has to Stop It From Crashing ![According to Truist Securities analyst William Stein, almost crashed with Tesla's Full Self-Driving tech turned on.]() *\Image: Tesla / Futurism\* ## Certain Accident For roughly a [decade now](), Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made so-far empty promises about "solving" autonomous driving. The company's erroneously named "Full Self-Driving" driver assistance software in particular has [repeatedly drawn flak]() for endangering Tesla drivers daring enough to use it on public roads. Now, Truist Securities analyst William Stein — who has a hold rating on Tesla's stock, meaning a recommendation to neither buy nor sell the stock — says he recently took the feature for a spin, finding that the tech simply isn't ready for prime time. As [*Bloomberg* reports](), Stein almost rear-ended another vehicle that had "only partly completed a right turn." "My quick intervention was absolutely required to avoid an otherwise certain accident," he wrote in a note to clients on Monday. ## Eyes Off the Road Stein's experience echoes [plenty of other close calls and collisions]() using Tesla's driver assistance software, many of which have proved fatal — prompting an [investigation]() by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And despite numerous over-the-air updates being issued to owners who were willing to [spend up to $8,000]() for the privilege of testing the system, the software is still woefully unprepared for the real world. While driving around New York suburbs, Stein was shocked that he was able to turn his "head completely away from the road" without triggering any safety features: "The system continued for 20-40 seconds before issuing a warning," he wrote. FSD also failed to pull over the vehicle when a police officer hand signaled for Stein to do so to allow a funeral procession to pass. Stein did give Tesla some credit, concluding that FSD was "truly amazing, but not even close to ‘solving’ autonomy," referring to Musk's repeated promises of enabling actual self-driving. It's a glaring report considering that Musk continues to double down on self-driving tech. The mercurial CEO [recently promised]() to unveil a "robotaxi" that would presumably rely on FSD-like software. But the robotaxi event has [already been delayed]() from August to October, raising flags among Tesla bears. As far as we know, the company hasn't even [applied for regulatory approval]() for a self-driving taxi service. In short, despite many years of public testing — courtesy of paying customers, not trained engineers — FSD is still pretty rough around the edges, which could bode badly for Musk going all in on autonomous driving. **More on FSD:** *[Tesla Stock Slaughtered After Its August "Robotaxi" Event Falls Apart]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()