Tesla has updated its in-car alert for when drivers attempt to get around the hands-on-steering wheel requirement for Autopilot and the Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta using objects like counterweights to try and bypass the system (via @TeslaChillMode).
From my friend that just texted me …
My buddy just got a beta strike for using a counterweight 😂
Elon is getting smarter@Tesla @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/YE25MRcx6s
— TeslaChillMode🐇#HellaTeslas (@TeslaChillMode) December 23, 2022
“Hands-on defeat device detected,” the new prompt reads, instructing the driver to “remove defeat device from steering wheel.”
When Tesla drivers engage Autopilot or FSD, in-car warning messages state that they need to be prepared to take over control at any time and must constantly have their hands on the steering wheel.
If Tesla’s driver monitoring system doesn’t detect the driver’s hands on the steering wheel, a warning is displayed. Last month, Tesla enabled its monitoring system to also detect Autopilot defeat devices designed to game the system.
When there is no torque feedback on the steering wheel from the driver or an Autopilot defeat device is detected and not removed by the driver, the vehicle will disengage Autopilot/FSD. Forced disengagements, in turn, can lead to strikes against the driver.
Tesla has a “three strikes” rule for the FSD beta — hitting that quota gets drivers kicked out of the program. The company reset beta testers’ strikes back in August with FSD beta 10.69.1.
