Tesla Engineer Flags 'Social Etiquette' Issues With FSD Despite Improvements

Tesla Inc. TSLA executive Wes Morrill said on Saturday that he continues to have “social etiquette” complaints about the company’s full self-driving (FSD) driver assistance technology and is increasingly surprised by its capabilities.

What Happened: Morrill said in a post on X that FSD is driving without much of his intervention now. Still, he continues to have social etiquette complaints such as waiting “too long” at a four-way or not accelerating fast enough at the highway on-ramp.

“And every once in a while there is a weird situation I think “okay I’m probably going to need to intervene here” and then I’m surprised when FSD just gracefully does the right thing,” Morrill said in a post on X.

This what I've been telling people who ask. My remaining complaints are all social etiquette things. Waiting too long at a four-way or not accelerating fast enough at the highway on-ramp. And every once in a while there is a weird situation I think "okay I'm probably going to… https://t.co/Dg6XtPZ6Ia
— Wes (@wmorrill3) January 26, 2025

FSD is an advanced driver assistance system that allows for hands-off driving. While the system provides for automatic lane changes, among other things, it still requires active driver supervision and for the driver to take over in situations where they believe the system cannot perform adequately.

Why It Matters: Tesla is optimistic that FSD will enable vehicle autonomy with future versions of the software. However, as of date, it is yet to make vehicles wholly autonomous.

“It’s learning, but does still need supervision. Getting longer and longer between interventions,” Morill said in a post-reply about its improvements.

Older versions ran over curbs for me, but recent builds I haven't hit a curb even in those same areas. It's learning, but does still need supervision. Getting longer and longer between interventions.
— Wes (@wmorrill3) January 26, 2025

However, FSD has also been under the radar of regulators. Earlier this month, U.S. auto safety regulator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a probe into about 2.6 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the company’s full self-driving driver assistance technology following a complaint alleging that the use of its “Actually Smart Summon” feature led to a crash.

Actually Smart Summon refers to a feature that allows a user to remotely move the vehicle towards themselves or to another nearby location such as a parking lot through the company’s phone app.

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