Last Friday, Tesla drivers first reported receiving a software update that included"Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control," which is designed to slowdown and stop the vehicle for visible traffic lights or stop signs.
"This feature will be conservative, slowdown often at first, and will not attempt to turn through intersections," Tesla says in a statement shown in the console screen of Tesla owners' vehicles after the update is installed. "This feature may not stop for all traffic controls," Tesla cautions in the statement. Drivers are reminded that they must continue to pay attention and be ready to take immediate action.
Cummings said the software raises the question of whether regulators should allow unfinished software to be released to the public. Tesla has made a habit of launching products before they're perfected, with Musk himself tweeting in 2016 that Autopilot's official"Beta" status was to emphasize the software's incomplete status.