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Tesla engineer admits Tesla didn't maintain Autopilot crash records amid trial over fatal crash | Electrek

[deleted] | 2025-07-16 20:40 | 840 views

Comments (45)
Nick_Gilberts_Bowtie 2025-07-16 20:42

Share price will go through the roof thanks to this bad news.

CareBearOvershare 2025-07-16 20:42

Can't share/leak data you don't collect. :smart:

Low-Possibility-7060 2025-07-16 20:44

Sounds like an admission of guilt.

Jaguarmadillo 2025-07-16 21:01

Elmo obviously used his supergenius, personally investigated it and learnt it was a driver error. The driver left it engaged during an accident, ergo driver error, records pointless.

gbe28 2025-07-16 21:03

"Autopilot?! We don't even offer that feature Your Honor!"

JRLDH 2025-07-16 21:04

But when it’s about absolving them of any fault then they are famous for logging everything they can.

Horror_Response_1991 2025-07-16 21:05

Ok then, max penalty it is

Real-Technician831 2025-07-16 21:06

Of course they didn't. "George McGee was driving his Model S on Autopilot in Key Largo in April 2019 when he dropped his phone and looked down to pick it up when the car blew past a stop sign at a T intersection, and crashed into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe." Even simple 2014 emergency braking assistant should have kicked in the brakes, so of course they had erase evidence how completely their system failed.

Real-Technician831 2025-07-16 21:06

The driver error was in buying a Tesla in the first place.

hotwifefun 2025-07-16 21:08

Up 3.5% today on the news, because of course.

[deleted] 2025-07-16 21:18

[deleted]

East_Talk_2541 2025-07-16 21:22

Add some firings and loss of revenue and you’ve got yourself a 2 trillion dollar company

theKetoBear 2025-07-16 21:35

I heard that was a feature, it stops recording data right before a crash happens.

Digg-Sucks 2025-07-16 21:42

>jurors watched part of the videotaped deposition of Tesla software engineer Akshay Phatak in which he said Tesla did not maintain records before March 2018 for evaluating whether it was safer to operate Tesla vehicles with the autopilot engaged or shut off. "Safer than a human" - source: Trust me bruh

IcyHowl4540 2025-07-16 21:47

Asked under oath, Tesla's answer to whether their software was as safe as they advertised it to be is literally: "No idea, we weren't even measuring that." Absolutely insane. There's not another auto manufacturer on earth that could get away with this sort of behavior.

friendIdiglove 2025-07-17 00:28

Just wait until paychecks start bouncing! To the moon!

Stewth 2025-07-17 00:59

You forgot all the executives leaping overboard and swimming away at speed

Quirky_Tradition_806 2025-07-17 02:02

I call bs flag on this. More likely is that the pre-2019 data was discarded because_____________.

EdOfTheMountain 2025-07-17 02:23

Deliberate decision

Darkstar197 2025-07-17 03:13

This is worse than people realize. It’s not just an accountability issue but a massive safety issue. They would rather ship unsafe firmware so they have plausible deniability during accidents ? The footage from crashes would be very valuable to all the ML teams working on safety.

ScoobyGDSTi 2025-07-17 03:25

Almost as if radar and lidar would be helpful 🤔

CouncilmanRickPrime 2025-07-17 03:29

They have told employees make sure everything is verbal

ScoobyGDSTi 2025-07-17 03:32

>Absolutely insane. There's not another auto manufacturer on earth that could get away with this sort of behavior Outside of the US. In countries with real regulatory agencies that don't bow down to oligarchs, this shit would in itself be a criminal offence. There's a good reason many Tesla features are non existent or heavily curtailed outside of the US. These countries don't wait for an accident to happen, they require you to prove your technology is safe first. It bogles my mind that the NHTSA is a reactive agency.

potatodrinker 2025-07-17 03:53

Wonder if it goes up the more important the victim is...

AgentSmith187 2025-07-17 04:10

Move fast and break things is an interesting non-critical software development philosophy. Using it in a safety critical environment where people can die is fucking madness. Not keeping data to monitor how often you break things is either wilful or stupid.

tangouniform2020 2025-07-17 06:04

Tesla execs heading to Russia to inspect the safety aspects of tall buildings with open windows. Elon will demonstrate to each of them, one at a tiiiiiiiii

vassadar 2025-07-17 06:06

It's a norm at this point. Look at Boeing.

WildFlowLing 2025-07-17 06:48

Oh gee it wasn’t a good idea to let Elon’s company self report on fatal crash data? The man who is a notorious liar and stooped so low as to (very terribly) fake being a pro gamer? This same man was also willing to lie and deceive when money is on the line? Wow.

LLMprophet 2025-07-17 06:54

They collected it. They just deleted it once they knew trial was imminent.

Jaguarmadillo 2025-07-17 07:19

I’m not sure they were getting away with it until Elmo (DOGE) sacked everyone who was investigating Tesler (or SpacX) or dared question the safety of any of his products

OarsandRowlocks 2025-07-17 08:24

*We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow...* RIP Brian Wilson

[deleted] 2025-07-17 10:21

[deleted]

RoutineCloud5993 2025-07-17 14:53

Oh and dont forget that Autopilot disengaged right before the crash so that Tesla could claim he wasn't using it at the time.

pzerr 2025-07-17 14:57

Absolutely.

pzerr 2025-07-17 14:59

They were not utilizing it to speak of. It was too cautious with it fully engaged and thus slowing down development. Basically the additional safety was providing a poor driver experience. That is likely a big part of 'loosing this information'. That would show they disabled radar and indicated much higher responsibility.

Real-Technician831 2025-07-17 15:06

In EU emergency braking assistant is now mandatory on all new cars, so Tesla can’t disengage it anymore without getting into even bigger trouble.

RoutineCloud5993 2025-07-17 15:10

"the EU are all pedos" - Elmo Musk

EarthConservation 2025-07-17 20:02

For $2 trillion, you definitely need a loss of tax credits, loss of regulatory credits, loss of credits on solar/battery storage, tariffs on imported battery raw materials, robot hands failing, terrible truck sales, and robotaxis that aren't autonomous.

EarthConservation 2025-07-17 20:07

Where's the whistleblowers when you need em? C'mon folks, I'm sure the government attorneys will give you immunity.

sugardaddyxyz 2025-07-17 22:47

Any data they do release is unverifiable. You have no way of verifying if FSD turned the wheel or the driver without cameras recording the driver. Criminal company.

ScoobyGDSTi 2025-07-18 01:21

Cause they disabled it being the nupties they are

terrorobe 2025-07-18 22:48

Radar doesn’t help with stationary objects. “Legacy” manufacturers detect those with their camera and - as a last resort - USS.

[deleted] 2025-07-20 04:56

A wonderful hypothesis, we should start putting healthcare ceo's in it and give it a whirl.

spaham 2025-07-20 18:08

Admits they *erased* the recordings

hillybeat 2025-07-20 19:48

Tesla commits crime. Stock goes up!

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