'Full Self-Driving' Teslas Keep Slamming Into Curbs

Owners trying out FSD for the first time are finding damage after their cars kiss the curb while turning.

20240412 - Tesla Curb Rash FSD

Rob Stumpf

By: Rob Stumpf

Apr 14, 2024 at 10:00am ET

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Tesla's latest release of its Full-Self Driving software has received a lot of positive reception from owners. But as the automaker released a month-long trial of FSD to all vehicles in its fleet capable of running it, other first-time FSD drivers have been giving their opinions, and the software may not be shaping up to everyone's expectations.

More specifically, cars are hitting curbs at a pretty alarming rate, or at least that's what it appears based on social media posts. Over the last few weeks, posts have popped up on Reddit, X, and YouTube showing wheel and tire damage due to cars on FSD making contact with curbs after taking turns a little too closely.

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In March, Tesla granted owners a free one-month trial of its Full Self-Driving software. This move could help push more owners to purchase the $12,000 software or subscribe at $200 per month—if they find it useful.

Posters claiming to have installed Tesla's FSD Trial flocked to social media to post photos and video of their cars "jumping the curb" while FSD was supposedly engaged. One user showed that Summon, a feature that has long been criticized for striking stationary objects, is still problematic.

"In my 3 days of using it, it has convinced me that I do not need it," said one user on Reddit. "I've had to intervene too many times to avoid the curb or a parked car on the street."

One user who experienced a curbed wheel shared a clip of their car clipping a sidewalk on Reddit. The video shows the car striking a curb mid-turn and a photo of a damaged protective wheel cover reportedly resulting from the impact.

Another user on X tagged CEO Elon Musk in a post showing a video of the car making contact with a curb and the damage to one of the car's wheels.

In the post, they note that a replacement wheel is $870 and claim that Tesla would not replace it even with a video showing the curb strike occurring while FSD was enabled.

The solution, according to many onlookers online, is to follow Tesla's recommendations of supervising FSD as it drives. But that irks some who believe that the juice of handing over steering and throttle input isn't worth the squeeze that comes with the anxiety of babysitting every small low-speed turn.

"I’ve noticed myself that it gets dangerously close to curbs on turns," wrote another Reddit user. "Mine was even hugging the right side of the lane and scraped some sticks sticking out of bushes along the road. I know it’s 'supervised' and the driver should be in control at all times. Then what’s the point if I have to disengage at every turn?"

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What many people don't realize about FSD, or Tesla Autopilot in general, is that it can take a good amount of user-applied torque to convince the car to relinquish control over to the driver. So even if a driver begins to recognize that the vehicle is turning slightly close to a curb, the time it takes to react and regain control might not be enough to avoid the hop.

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Plus, let's be real: most people don't aim their mirrors at the curb. So a close call could be a nothingburger with a forceful disengagement or direct contact with the cement.

It's not like curb hopping is a new problem, either. It's been happening for other drivers for quite some time in older versions of Tesla's FSD software. Perhaps it's gotten more problematic recently, or maybe it's just becoming more apparent given the number of drivers who are taking advantage of the FSD trial.

More Tesla FSD News

Tesla Full Self-Driving Comes Out Of Beta, But Must Be Supervised