Elon Musk doesn’t want to hear complaints from customers trying out the driver-assistance system that Tesla plans to start charging $15,000 for in the coming weeks.
The CEO scolded a Tesla owner who posted videos on Twitter last week showing that a new beta version of the system marketed as Full Self-Driving at times struggles with right turns and other basic tasks.
The customer wrote that he’s spent more than $32,000 paying for the system multiple times.
“10.69 is in limited release for a reason,” Musk replied, referring to the latest version of the system rolled out to select customers this month. “Please do not ask to be included in early beta releases and then complain.”
The comments came days after Musk said Tesla would start charging $3,000 more for Full Self-Driving, which still requires active supervision and doesn’t make the company’s vehicles autonomous. The California Department of Motor Vehicles has accused Tesla of misleading consumers about its technology, and federal safety regulators are investigating whether the automaker’s Autopilot system is defective.
NHTSA wrote to Tesla last year about how the company had been subjecting Full Self-Driving beta testers to nondisclosure agreements that may have impeded access to information the agency needed to assess the program. In October, Musk confirmed Tesla had dropped the NDA. A few months later, the company terminated an employee days after he posted a YouTube video of his car running into a traffic pylon while using Full Self-Driving.
Musk has written in the past that he appreciates critical feedback and urged his Twitter followers in February to seek out negative assessments.