Tesla Autopilot Veers Into Divider Without Warning at Fatal Crash Site

Tesla Autopilot Failing (No Warnings) Where There Was A Fatal Car Accident W Model X — Shantanu Joshi

Shantanu Joshi

A driver-assist test at the Highway 101 fatal collision site shows Tesla's Autopilot swerving toward the concrete barrier without issuing any takeover alerts.

AI-assisted summary of Tesla Autopilot Failing (No Warnings) Where There Was A Fatal Car Accident W Model X — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published:

Key ideas

  • Shantanu Joshi recreated the conditions of a fatal Tesla Model X crash site on Highway 101 at the Highway 85 exit split to evaluate Autopilot's behavior. (0:00)
  • During the test, the vehicle autonomously steered left directly toward the concrete highway divider gore point. (0:00)
  • The driver reported that Autopilot provided zero visual or audible warnings prior to veering into the barrier, requiring immediate manual intervention. (0:00)
  • The observed lack of warnings directly challenges Tesla's public statements suggesting that drivers in similar crash scenarios received alerts to take over the steering wheel.

Detailed notes

## Background Published on YouTube by Shantanu Joshi on April 3, 2018, this video documents a morning commute along Highway 101 at the location of a prior fatal Tesla Model X crash. According to the description, Joshi tested the route using Autopilot and encountered an unprompted swerve toward the divider without any system warnings, calling into question Tesla's public statements regarding driver alert protocols.

## TL;DR During a drive along Highway 101, Shantanu Joshi tests Tesla's Autopilot at the Highway 85 split where a fatal collision had recently occurred. As the vehicle nears the divider between the diverging routes, the Autopilot system unexpectedly steers off course toward the barrier. Joshi highlights that the car initiated this leftward swerve without issuing any audio or visual alerts to take control. Alarmed by the sudden heading toward the obstacle, Joshi quickly intervenes to manually steer the car out of harm's way.

## Atmosphere & style The clip carries a tense, startling atmosphere driven by the raw immediacy of an in-cabin test turning into a real hazard. Joshi speaks with genuine shock and panic as the vehicle swerves toward the concrete gore point, capturing the visceral fear of an automated system failing in real time. Watching the encounter feels sobering and unnerving, highlighting the split-second stakes of sudden driver-assist anomalies.

## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&t=0s) Shantanu Joshi recreated the conditions of a fatal Tesla Model X crash site on Highway 101 at the Highway 85 exit split to evaluate Autopilot's behavior. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&t=0s) During the test, the vehicle autonomously steered left directly toward the concrete highway divider gore point. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&t=0s) The driver reported that Autopilot provided zero visual or audible warnings prior to veering into the barrier, requiring immediate manual intervention. - The observed lack of warnings directly challenges Tesla's public statements suggesting that drivers in similar crash scenarios received alerts to take over the steering wheel.

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&t=0s) Shantanu Joshi conducted a real-world test on his morning commute along Highway 101 following a fatal Model X crash. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&t=0s) The test targeted the specific gore point where Highway 101 splits into Highway 85. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&t=0s) The road geometry and lane markings at the Highway 85 split present a hazardous navigation scenario for driver-assist systems. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&t=0s) While Autopilot was active, the steering wheel visibly turned left toward the dividing barrier without driver input. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&t=0s) The vehicle initiated this swerve toward the divider without issuing any audible or visual take-over warnings. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&t=0s) The driver experienced sudden alarm and manually took over steering early to prevent a collision with the barrier. - The incident contradicts Tesla's narrative that drivers in such crashes were repeatedly alerted to regain control. - Daily commuters relying heavily on Autopilot face critical safety risks when lane splits confuse the navigation system.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY&t=0s) Recreating the US-101 Autopilot Crash Site

Shantanu Joshi addresses the Tesla community on his morning commute, explaining that he regularly drives up and down Highway 101. Following the recent fatal crash involving a Tesla Model X on Autopilot, he decided to deliberately test the exact subsection of the highway where the collision took place. The specific location is the interchange where Highway 101 splits off toward Highway 85 on the left, an area where the lane markings create a hazardous divider barrier between the diverging routes.

While attempting to film the experience from behind the wheel, Joshi observed unexpected and alarming behavior from the vehicle's driver-assist system. He explains that as the vehicle approached the gore point, it suddenly steered off course on its own toward the physical barrier. Reflecting on the unsettling outcome, Shantanu Joshi notes, “The car definitely swerved start swerving left without giving me any warnings right into that divider anyway.” Because he panicked at the vehicle's sudden movement toward the obstacle, he quickly intervened to take manual control, emphasizing to viewers that the resulting video captures a genuinely frightening failure where the system gave no audible or visual alerts before veering off.

- **Location**: Highway 101 at the Highway 85 split, the site of a prior fatal Tesla Model X Autopilot collision. - **Autopilot Behavior**: The vehicle initiated an unprompted leftward swerve directly toward the concrete highway divider. - **System Feedback**: The driver reported receiving zero warning alerts or requests to take over steering prior to the vehicle veering off.

## Mentioned Shantanu Joshi, Tesla, Tesla Autopilot, Tesla Model X, Highway 101, Highway 85, Reddit

## Video description Made a quick video this morning on my drive down 101 in the lane where the model x crashed, killing the driver, and causing a fire.

I think the part that bothered me as an owner and daily driver was the fact that this contradicts Tesla's public statement that the driver in the fatal accident was informed and warned to grab the steering wheel. In my case here I received no warnings which is the weird part. Who's to say that drive couldn't have been me given that I drive nearly 90 miles of autopilot daily on 101.

Video is kinda tricky to understand but watch the wheel turn left (w blue autopilot wheel icon up) as the dedicated 85 exit lane starts deviating left. The car started turning w.o warning into the divider. I lowkey freaked out and turned the wheel pretty early.

Details here: https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/899i1w/my_model_s_failing_in_autopilot_where_the_model_x/

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJSjeHDvfY)

中文简报

特斯拉Autopilot在致命车祸地点无预警偏向隔离带 在101号公路致命碰撞事故发生地进行的辅助驾驶测试显示，特斯拉Autopilot在未发出任何接管警报的情况下偏向混凝土护栏。 在沿着101号公路行驶期间，Shantanu Joshi在近期发生致命碰撞的85号公路分流处测试了特斯拉Autopilot。当车辆接近分流道路之间的隔离带时，Autopilot系统意外偏离路线驶向护栏。Joshi强调，车辆在开始向左偏转时，并未发出任何要求接管控制的声音或视觉警报。由于车辆突然驶向障碍物，惊慌的Joshi迅速介入，手动操控汽车脱离危险。 Shantanu Joshi在101号公路靠近85号公路出口分流处重现了一起特斯拉Model X致命事故现场的环境，以评估Autopilot的表现。 (0:00) 在测试过程中，车辆自动向左转向，直接驶向高速公路混凝土隔离带分流岛端部。 (0:00) 驾驶员报告称，Autopilot在偏向护栏前完全没有发出视觉或声音警报，需要立即进行人工干预。 (0:00) 所观察到的缺乏警报现象，直接质疑了特斯拉此前的公开声明，该声明曾暗示类似车祸场景下的驾驶员收到了接管方向盘的警报。

Reading summary

Following a fatal Model X collision on Highway 101, driver Shantanu Joshi tested Tesla's Autopilot at the crash site and reported that the vehicle suddenly swerved toward the divider barrier without issuing any warnings. Recreating Conditions at the Fatal Crash Location (0:00) Shantanu Joshi set out to test the specific section of Highway 101 where a Tesla Model X had recently experienced a fatal collision while operating on Autopilot. The recreation took place on his regular morning commute at the interchange where Highway 101 splits toward Highway 85 on the left. At this junction, diverging lane markings form a gore point fronting a concrete divider barrier, presenting a potentially hazardous navigation challenge for driver-assist systems. Unprompted Swerve and Lack of Warning Alerts (0:00) While filming the vehicle approaching the gore point, Joshi observed the Autopilot system steer off course autonomously toward the physical barrier. According to Joshi, the vehicle initiated the leftward swerve without presenting any audible or visual alerts or prompting the driver to take over steering. Panicked by the sudden trajectory toward the divider, Joshi immediately intervened to resume manual control, reporting that the footage documents a serious system failure in which no advance warnings were provided. The test demonstrates an instance where Tesla Autopilot abruptly moved toward a physical obstacle without alerting the driver, underscoring the necessity of immediate manual intervention at complex highway splits.

精炼阅读摘要

Shantanu Joshi 在实地驾驶测试中报告称，特斯拉的 Autopilot 系统在经过曾发生致命事故的 101 号公路分岔路段时，出现了危及安全的异常偏航行为。他声称，车辆在未发出任何视觉或听觉预警的情况下，径直向隔离带转向，迫使其紧急人工接管。 测试路段与事故现场 (0:00) Shantanu Joshi 选择在 101 号公路与 85 号公路的分岔口进行测试，该地点也是此前一起特斯拉 Model X 致命车祸的发生地。作为该路段的常客，Joshi 希望通过重现驾驶过程，观察 Autopilot 系统如何处理此处复杂的车道标线与分岔路口（gore point）。他指出，该区域的道路设计在分流路口处形成了一个危险的障碍隔离区。 Autopilot 的异常偏航行为 (0:00) 在实地拍摄过程中，Joshi 观察到车辆的驾驶辅助系统表现出了令人担忧的自主行为。当车辆接近分流点时，Autopilot 未经任何干预便突然自行向左偏转。Joshi 在描述该过程时表示，汽车在没有预兆的情况下，直接朝向混凝土路障转向，导致其必须迅速进行人工介入以避免碰撞。 缺乏系统预警机制 (0:00) 这次测试中最为突出的问题是系统警示的完全缺失。Joshi 强调，在车辆发生猛烈转向动作之前，Autopilot 系统没有发出任何听觉或视觉上的警报，也没有提示驾驶员接管车辆。这种无预警的失控行为直接导致了危险局面的产生，促使 Joshi 必须依靠人工手动控制来规避障碍。 Joshi 的测试记录展示了 Autopilot 在应对特定道路分叉口时潜在的系统缺陷，特别是其在未发出任何接管信号的情况下便发生危险偏航的能力。此案例再次引发了关于驾驶辅助系统在复杂交通环境下的可靠性与安全性的探讨。

Original transcript

[0:00] what up our Tesla so I was on my way to [0:02] work today I drive up and down 101 I [0:04] decided to test the subsection of the [0:07] road where that auto pilot accident [0:08] happened so I took a quick video or [0:11] tried to actually of that section of the [0:13] road where 101 splits off in 85 on the [0:16] left and the results are kind of freaky [0:19] so it's not great because I love he [0:20] freaked out [0:21] but the car definitely swerved start [0:23] swerving left without giving me any [0:24] warnings right into that divider anyway [0:26] yeah check out this video