Tesla’s Autopilot Gone Wrong: Car Drives with Covered Windshield in Shocking Video

A Tesla Model 3 driving autonomously on a California highway with its windshield completely covered by a sunshade has ignited widespread discussion. The video, shared on October 12 across various U.S. automotive media platforms and online communities, shows the red Tesla driving with a newspaper also covering the left window, making it difficult to see the driver.

In the video, the Tesla engages its turn signal, changes lanes, and passes the vehicle of the person recording. The driver’s identity and actions were obscured by the coverings on the vehicle’s windows, raising concerns about the use of Tesla’s Autopilot system.

Concerns Over Driver Negligence with Autopilot

The Tesla Model 3 has a driver monitoring system designed to detect inattention when activated by Autopilot, Tesla’s Level 2 self-driving system. This system is meant to audibly warn the driver if their eyes are not focused on the road. However, this latest incident has raised questions about how some drivers are seemingly able to bypass these safety features.

“We don’t know how this driver evaded the monitoring system,” one media source noted. Online commenters expressed their alarm, with reactions ranging from calls to report the driver to the police to worries about the potential dangers of self-driving technology. Many voiced concerns over how unsettling it must have been for other drivers sharing the road with the vehicle.

Trust in Autopilot Leads to Tragic Accidents

Tesla’s Autopilot system has been criticized for its role in several fatal accidents. Earlier this year, The Washington Post reported that at least eight lawsuits related to the system are set to go to trial this year. The plaintiffs argue that Tesla overstated the system’s capabilities, which led to accidents involving distracted or negligent drivers.

In one case, a woman was using Autopilot when her Tesla crashed into a stationary vehicle on the highway. She exited her car and was tragically struck and killed by another vehicle. In another incident, a man drove his Tesla while intoxicated, relying on Autopilot, and ended up driving in the wrong direction before colliding with another vehicle, killing the other driver.

Consumer Skepticism Grows: Is Full Self-Driving Realistic?

Tesla continues to push forward with its self-driving technology ambitions, recently unveiling the “Cybercab” robotaxi on October 10. However, skepticism around the company’s self-driving vision is growing, with many industry experts questioning the plan’s practicality. U.S. investment bank Jefferies criticized the robotaxi concept, dubbing it a “toothless taxi,” while Wall Street doubted Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s bold promises.

Tesla’s stock price dropped more than 8% following the robotaxi announcement, while shares of ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft surged by about 10%. According to reports from outlets like CNBC, the lack of specific details regarding regulatory approval and launch timelines for Tesla’s robotaxi left many investors disappointed.