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My 80-Year-Old Wife Fell Down & We Had to Drive Our Tesla Cybertruck to the Hospital; However, We Couldn’t Rely on The Driver Assist Software Because Tesla Has Put Us on FSD Jail

An elderly Cybertruck owner shares his frustration with Tesla after his 80-year-old wife fell down, and they had to drive the Cybertruck to the hospital. The issue is that Tesla has recently put the couple in a week-long FSD jail.

Ed is a Cybertruck owner from Plymouth, Michigan, and says he’s frustrated with Tesla’s full self-driving software and how it penalizes users for seemingly random reasons.

The FSD functionality was automatically included as part of the additional $20,000 Ed paid to purchase a “Foundation Series” Cybertruck.

The elderly Cybertruck owner was recently put on a week-long suspension for what the software deemed improper use.

Getting barred from a functionality you’ve paid for is bad enough; however, Ed says the suspension couldn’t have come at a worse time.

At his age, Ed increasingly relies on FSD to maneuver a large vehicle like a Cybertruck. However, as he was in the middle of the FSD suspension, his 80-year-old wife fell down, and he had to drive her to the hospital.

This would have been the ideal time to get assistance from FSD; however, ED says, at this critical moment, he was unable to access the driver assist software.

Frustrated with the whole situation, Ed went on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum and shared his experience under the title “FSD JAIL RANT.”

Here is what he wrote…

“Bought our Cybertruck on 30 September 2024 and installed FSD as soon as it was available. FSD was recently put in JAIL for one week for the first time ever. I believe it was due to the “Apply Slight Force To The Steering Wheel” messages, me applying too much force to the steering wheel on numerous occasions, and FSD turning off.

Before FSD was put in jail and when the “Apply Slight Force To The Steering Wheel” message would appear, we would have to stop/park, and both get out of the Cybertruck and get back in to continue our trip with FSD.

This was quite annoying already. But turning off FSD for one week is insane. How about one day instead of a week if we have to be penalized at all? Just having FSD turned off until the next park/drive should be enough of a penalty.

While FSD was in jail this week, my 80-year-old wife fell, and I had to take her to the Hospital for X-ray/CT scans to be evaluated for injury. I couldn’t use FSD to drive us to the Hospital.

We are using and relying on FSD more than ever, and I did not appreciate the one-week in-jail penalty or the fact that I paid for LIFETIME FSD when we purchased a Foundation Series Cybertruck. Didn’t know that it came with one-week penalties.”

This is certainly a frustrating situation and, rather ironically, is the opposite of how Tesla and Elon Musk advertise the FSD software.

In the past, Elon Musk has highlighted several situations where a Tesla driver had a medical emergency while on Autopilot. The self-driving feature was able to either assist them to get to the hospital or pull them safely to the side of the road to stop further harm.

However, in this situation, the FSD software was unavailable because Tesla had decided to punish the owner with a 1-week suspension.

Looking at the comments, other Cybertruck owners say that the situation with Ed’s wife is irrelevant and that Tesla is in the right for handing down the 1-week suspension. They also add that using FSD is a privilege and not a right.

A Tesla owner from Montana writes…

“One week is so you can figure out and think. Hey, I might be using this incorrectly. Now is the time to figure out. Over time, the strikes will be removed, and you can start again.

Safety has to come first, or the senator from Massachusetts [Elizabeth Warren] comes for our FSD. Ed Markey will hold hearings and take my road trip fun away because of people who won't take the time. People already know how to drive. This is a privilege to be had. If one doesn't understand, they needs to learn how to use it correctly.

Sorry to hear about your wife. Yet not relevant in this case.”

Another Cybertruck owner, Dennis from Boyne City, Michigan, writes…

“Eyes on the road, proper use of FSD, and respect for the technology are recommended. I have been using FSD for years, as I paid for FSD even before it was released.

I have never had more than one or two strikes and feel that the current policy of FSD suspension is very, very generous, with little to no memory of past performance, and currently lacks restrictions for repeated issues with inattentive and demonstrated disregard for safety.”

Overall, the sentiment amongst other Cybertruck owners is that Ed deserves the 1-week ban. However, please let me know what you think in the comments. Share your ideas by clicking the red “Add new comment” button below. Also, visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.

Image: Screenshot from Patriotickenny TikTok video

For more information, check out: Tesla Cybertruck’s Giant “Giga Wiper” Blows Up Into Pieces While Driving in the Middle of a Snowstorm. Owner Forced into Dangerous Driving Situation With Barely Any Visibility Out the Windshield

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.

Comments

C. (not verified)    January 7, 2025 - 8:00PM

Clearly he should not be driving at all! And he should have called an ambulance instead of driving her to the hospital.

Hobie (not verified)    January 7, 2025 - 9:41PM

Are these other Cybertruck WANKS who attacked the elderly man for real??? Are they really just that brainwashed by Tesla and it CRAPPY SHITTY WORTHLESS FSD?

I am 100% against autonomous driving tech (made by ANY manufacturer, not just Tesla) being operated on any public roadways...however, I have a 98 year old parent who voluntarily stopped driving 6 yrs ago who loves the idea of auto driving in order to preserve independence. Sounds like that was what this man was looking for as well....sadly, he chose to go for it with a Cybertruck (God knows why)...but he should get to use what he paid for. INSANITY from Tesla...and no respect to their customers.

Janelle (not verified)    January 7, 2025 - 10:43PM

IF YOU PAY FOR A SERVICE THERE SHOULD BE NO PENALTYS OR SUSPENSIONS OR WHATEVER. THESE CYBERTRUCKS ARE NOTHING BUT A METAL TIN CAN. EF YOU ELON MUSK

Jackson S (not verified)    January 7, 2025 - 11:04PM

Personally, I don't want to be on the road with an 80 y.o. driver who "needs" FSD to drive his 3+ ton cubertruck. Sounds like Tesla's policy is working and maybe this guy should sell his cubertruck and use ride sharing services instead.