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Tesla Is Urging Drowsy Drivers to Use ‘Full Self-Driving.’ That Could Go Very Wrong

Aarian Marshall

created: Sept. 26, 2025, 11 a.m. | updated: Sept. 29, 2025, 6:19 p.m.

Since Tesla launched its Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature in beta in 2020, the company’s owner’s manual has been clear: Contrary to the name, cars using the feature can’t drive themselves. Tesla’s driver assistance system is built to handle plenty of road situations—stopping at stop lights, changing lanes, steering, braking, turning. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment about this message, and WIRED has not been able to find this message appearing on a Tesla in-car screen. “It’s tricky.”Over the years, Tesla has made changes to its technology to make it more difficult for inattentive drivers to use FSD. Tesla also uses a “strike system” that can prevent a driver from using their driver assistance feature for a week if they repeatedly fail to respond to its prompts.

2 months, 2 weeks ago: WIRED