by Problems with recognizing railway crossings in Tesla FSD
The Full Self-Driving (FSD) system from Tesla, which is positioned as an innovative technology, demonstrates serious shortcomings in detecting active railway crossings. According to reports, cars may not respond to warning lights and lowering barriers, creating potentially dangerous situations on the roads.
Despite Tesla calling its system “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)”, it remains at Level 2 semi-autonomous driving, which requires constant driver attention. This highlights the limitations of the technology and its imperfection in real-world conditions.
Real cases and driver reactions
NBC News published a video showing a Model Y approaching an active crossing and requiring manual intervention to stop. Although in this case the barriers had not yet fully lowered, which could have affected the system’s response, numerous Tesla drivers report similar problems at various crossings.
FSD 13.2.9 treats lowering/lowered barrier as optional
Experts suggest that Tesla may not have used enough data to train its system to recognize the diverse configurations of railway crossings across the country. Even basic elements such as warning lights are sometimes ignored when the system prioritizes other objects, for example, green traffic lights in the distance.
Regulatory response and consequences
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed that it is aware of the incidents and is in communication with the manufacturer. The agency is analyzing consumer complaints to identify potential vehicle safety trends.
Although problems are not always detected, accidents have already been recorded. In June, a Tesla, according to reports, returned onto the railway tracks and was hit by a train a few minutes later. The company and Elon Musk have not yet commented on the situation, but the latter announced the availability of FSD Supervised in Australia and New Zealand, without mentioning the risks at railway crossings.
This situation is a reminder that even the most advanced technologies require constant improvement and testing in diverse conditions. Drivers who rely on autonomous driving systems must remain vigilant, especially in high-risk areas such as railway crossings. Developers, in turn, should focus on collecting more diverse data and improving algorithms for recognizing critically important objects.
