NHTSA Complaint #11097116 — 2016 TESLA MODEL S

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE IN AUTOPILOT MODE GOING 50MPH SOUTHBOUND IN THE LEFT LANE ON A DIVIDED 2 LANE HIGHWAY, ROUTE 1 IN DELAWARE. IT WAS CLEAR AND SUNNY, NO FOG. ALL THESE CONDITIONS ARE PREFERRED WHEN USING AUTOPILOT ON MY VEHICLE. A WHITE FORD F150 PERPENDICULAR TO MY CAR WAS BETWEEN THE MEDIAN IN A TURNABOUT TO GO NORTHBOUND WITH ITS TRUCKBED ABOUT 1 FOOT INTO MY LANE. AUTOPILOT DID NOT ALERT ME TO THIS CAR, NOR DID IT SLOW DOWN OR VEER IN ORDER TO AVOID IT (TWO FEATURES ENABLED ON MY VEHICLE AND ADVERTISED BY TESLA). I WAS UNABLE TO GRAB THE WHEEL IN TIME TO AVOID THE ACCIDENT. I FEEL THAT THE AUTOPILOT'S FEATURE OF WORKING WITHOUT THE HANDS ON THE WHEEL LULLED ME INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY AND I MOST CERTAINLY WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THIS TYPE OF ACCIDENT HAD I NOT HAD AUTOPILOT ON MY VEHICLE. I AM SO THANKFUL I WASN'T KILLED OR INJURED, I FEEL THAT THE WAY AUTOPILOT IS HANDLED IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD REQUIRE HANDS TO BE ON THE WHEEL AT ALL TIMES. I AM HOPEFUL SOMETHING WILL BE DONE TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS LIKE THIS IN THE FUTURE. THIS SYSTEM IS BEING DOWNLOADED TO CARS WITH LITTLE TO NO REGULATION. I CONTACTED TESLA WITH MY CONCERNS WITH THE HOPE THEIR ENGINEERS COULD USE THE DATA FROM MY CAR FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT, HOWEVER TESLA WAS IMMEDIATELY DEFENSIVE ABOUT MY SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT.