Last Saturday (August 10 2019) we were driving in the Netherlands from Tilburg to Oisterwijk, and I had started Navigate on Autopilot when we were driving on the highway (A65), which transitions into a will change into a 2-lane country road (N65) from the Berkel-Enschot exit onwards. This N65 is also known as the Bosscheweg. At the McDonalds we should turn right onto the Pannenschuurlaan in the direction of Oisterwijk. When we were cruising on the N65, our Tesla suddenly went to the right onto a stretch of emergency lane that is more than 350 meters before the exit. That was completely unexpected and clearly an error that Navigating with Autopilot made. Because I always hold the steering wheel while using Autopilot and Navigating with Autopilot, I was able to intervene immediately, but this was actually a big mistake because we drove at the maximum allowed speed of 80 km/h. If I had been less attentive, had intervened a few seconds later, or if, as you can see in the photo above, a car had been parked on that piece of emergency lane, then this could very well have gone very wrong. At 80 km/h you move after all with 22 meters per second!
On the screenshot above of a satellite map, the red arrow shows where our Tesla suddenly steered onto the emergency lane without any form of warning, while he should have taken the turn at the blue arrow. Below you can see the screenshot from Google Streetview of the emergency lane stretch. As you can see, there are no deficits or bad contract of the road lines.
I have reported the mistake, and I will share this blog post via Twitter with Tesla and Elon. This is a mistake that needs a resolution in my opinion.
Take at least to heart what Tesla says when using Autopilot, Autosteer and Navigating with Autopilot … keep your hands on the steering wheel and stay vigilant to intervene when needed!
Tesla and Model 3 good to know & experiences 