Tesla is rolling out a new version of its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software that can take control of your car to avoid a crash, even when you’re driving manually.
The automaker announced the feature, part of FSD Supervised v14.3.9, in a post from its AI team early Friday.
FSD steps in even when you’re not using it
Tesla said v14.3.9 is “starting to roll out shortly” and includes what it calls “a new active safety feature set.” FSD Supervised “can now activate on your behalf when an imminent collision is detected and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) may not be enough,” according to the company.
Standard AEB brakes. This lets FSD take directional control and steer to avoid an obstacle when braking alone won’t cut it.
Tesla added that the system “may also engage if we detect you’re heavily distracted or have accidentally disengaged FSD.” So it can kick in two ways: an imminent collision that braking can’t solve, and moments when the driver looks checked out or FSD was switched off by accident.
A background safety net during manual driving
Until now, FSD only ran when you turned it on. A slice of the same v14 software stack Tesla has been rolling out since April now sits in the background while you drive manually, ready to intervene.
Tesla hasn’t said whether the feature can be turned off, or how it decides that steering is safer than braking. Those are big questions given the software’s record. We’ve documented v14 swerving toward a ditch for no reason and Tesla’s long-running phantom braking problem in Autopilot. A false positive that brakes is jarring. A false positive that steers is a different level of risk.
Electrek’s Take
Automatic collision avoidance is a good idea in principle. AEB has prevented countless crashes, and letting the car steer around something it can’t brake for is a logical next step. Tesla isn’t alone here either; several automakers have been building evasive-maneuver systems for years.
But I hope it’s optional. AEB kicking in makes sense, and I want it – even though I use the most forgiving settings in my car because I think Tesla’s system is too aggressive. What I don’t want is FSD’s directional control taking over my steering when I’m in manual mode and have chosen to drive the car myself. Braking to save me is one thing. Deciding to grab the wheel and steer is another. If I’ve accidentally disengaged FSD, sure, catch me. I just want to know I can switch this off.
The bigger issue is trust. This is the same v14 that we’ve watched swerve for no reason and brake at phantoms, and now it’s cleared to act during manual driving. If Tesla gets the false-positive rate wrong, the feature could cause the exact crashes it’s meant to prevent.
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