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by abdelm 2941 days ago
https://www.tesla.com/autopilot/ -> big text saying "Full Self-Driving Hardware on All Cars" + video showcasing said capability.

You have to go way down to "Enhanced Autopilot" section to read the smaller text that mentions that its subject to regulatory approval, and that the driver is responsible.

If you don't think that's misleading advertising, I don't know what is.
2 comments
annerajb 2941 days ago
In the purchase section it clearly breaks the capability out including which ones are active/ enabled. In addition on the car manual and UI at enabling also spells it out. It says keep your hands on the wheel and paying attention to pick over immediately.
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ams6110 2941 days ago
People don't read manuals. People don't read instructions in the UI. That is well-established reality. People glance at a web page or ad and see the words "full self-driving" and that's what sets their expectations.
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hndamien 2941 days ago
They don't apparently read pop-ups prior to driving, ends of sentences ("full self driving capable hardware"), definitions of words, hacker news comments, listen to audible warnings to keep hands on the steering wheel. At what point does a person become responsible for their own actions?
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yellow_postit 2940 days ago
Rephrased: at what point should Tesla remove this ambiguity from their marketing materials?
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hndamien 2940 days ago
Depends on the ambiguity. I would agree that they should remove the video unless they put a giant disclaimer on it right now.
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hndamien 2941 days ago
By smaller text do you mean the text that is at the same sized font as every paragraph on the page except for the headings? Right in the middle of the page and not in a disclaimer wall of text (which also exists at the bottom with bold.)

I will admit showing a video of full hands off video, not on a highway, underneath a statement about the hardware, showing off software being used in a way that is not recommended in the manual is bad.

As I stated before in my first comment, they shouldn't be selling "self driving" that isn't available. I see no issue with promoting the hardware though and selling future proofing.

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