Tesla Now Recommends Sleepy Drivers Try FSD

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If you are like me, when that little orange arrow pops up at the top of your touchscreen in your Tesla to alert you there is a new software update available, you download it, maybe scan the release notes (or not), and get on with your life. But there are people who love to delve deeply into those updates to understand precisely what has changed and how the changes will affect the operation of their cars.

One such white hat hacker styles himself as @greentheonly. We’ve covered things he’s found in the code ahead of their release several times over the years. He did a deep dive into the latest FSD update and discovered it did some things most people might not be aware of. On September 11, 2025, he posted on X:

Hm, interesting messaging shift in 2025.32.3.

Now the drowsiness/lane departure alerts suggest FSD.

Like:

– Lane drift detected. Let FSD assist so you can stay focused.

– Drowsiness detected. Stay focused with FSD.

Tesla FSD Update Raises Interesting Questions

So, what does that mean, exactly? According to Drive Tesla Canada, the alerts appear to show up when the vehicle is being operated manually and the system detects warning signs via the cabin camera or lane keeping sensors. It says the new software update:

“Raises interesting questions about how Tesla positions FSD. On one hand, the company continues to stress that drivers must remain fully attentive when using the software, keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. On the other hand, these new messages imply that the system can serve as a safety net when drivers are less than fully alert — for example, if they are fatigued, distracted, or drifting within their lane.

“That creates a subtle contradiction. Tesla is essentially saying you must always be alert to supervise FSD, but if you’re drowsy, turn FSD on. For some, this represents an important step toward proactive safety — the car offering help precisely when human performance is compromised. For others, it highlights the messaging challenges Tesla faces in balancing marketing, safety regulation, and real-world driver behavior.

“This new approach could pave the way for a broader trend in Tesla’s safety strategy. If the company expands these types of alerts, drivers may eventually see prompts not just for drowsiness, but also for other forms of impairment, such as distracted driving due to smartphone use. In that sense, Tesla’s vehicles may evolve into systems that actively encourage drivers to lean on automation in moments of reduced capability.

“At the same time, regulators and safety advocates are likely to watch closely. Highlighting FSD as a remedy for drowsiness may spark a closer look by regulators into whether drivers might become overly reliant on the technology in unsafe situations.”

Reddit Weighs In

This has become a hot topic on Reddit, where two days ago, SisterOfBattle posted this message:

“Tesla update 2025.32.3 includes an undocumented change to Tesla’s drowsiness detection feature. The change was discovered by Tesla hacker Green, who detected the change in decompiled Tesla code. When your vehicle detects that the driver is drowsy or notices multiple lane departure assistance warnings, your vehicle will display a pop-up on the screen, prompting you to proactively engage FSD to help you keep an eye on the road.

“‘Are you sleepy? Use FSD!’ – Tesla

“‘You crashed? That’s not FSD fault, you have to take over at a moment’s notice!’ -Also Tesla”

That post described the contradiction clearly. And, oh, by the way — that post has gotten 161 upvotes. The number of downvotes? Zero. Recall that FSD isn’t particularly popular with the public.

Calling Out Tesla

Some people think CleanTechnica has gone over to the dark side and been co-opted by a coterie of Tesla haters. However, most of us own Teslas and have gone out of our way to heap praise on the company when we think praise is due.

But when we see something that suggests the company has gone off the rails, we are not afraid to call Tesla out. We want it to succeed because it was the spark that ignited the EV revolution. What pains us it to see the company shoot itself in the foot over and over again, because doing so damages that transition that is so vital to reducing global heating emissions from the transportation sector.

We fervently wish Elon Musk would go back to spearheading the revolution rather than spending hundreds of millions of dollars to help get a brain-addled dictator elected. All heroes have feet of clay; we understand that. But Musk has sold his soul in his quest for power and shows no sign that he understands the depths of his betrayal.

Drunk Driving Kills

We have another bone to pick with the Great And Powerful Musk. Falling asleep at the wheel is a serious issue, no doubt about it. But it is pygmy compared to the elephant in the room, which is drunk driving. According to MADD, nearly a third of all fatal accidents in the US each year involve alcohol use.

Musk has made reducing traffic accidents one of his top justifications for developing the Full Self Driving (FSD) system. Why then has the company he controls never — not once — put its prodigious engineering talents to work to address drunk driving, something that kills five times more Americans every year than died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001? If the computer in your Tesla can detect sleepiness, why can it not also detect inebriation?

Propping Up The Tesla Share Price

This new software seems to be another desperate attempt by the company to promote FSD, a system that, at best, is Level 2+ on the autonomy scale. Is this another ploy to boost Tesla’s stock price, dictated by the head of the company to make people forget that Tesla sales are falling precipitously in most markets?

We know our readers have strong opinions on this topic. Many of you swear by FSD. Others swear at it. Here is a pertinent comment on Reddit by Downtown_Rock_3164:

“I ended up turning off FSD a couple of updates ago because it became completely unreliable and borderline reckless. It would slam on the brakes at shadows on the highway, drift toward white lines when off-ramps or extra lanes opened, and constantly mismanage speed — either going way too fast or well under the limit. Even lane keep assist still struggles with these issues. Honestly, I wouldn’t trust it unattended; the risks are too high. What’s most frustrating is that earlier versions worked better, with only minor glitches, but recent updates have made it worse.”

Legal Consequences

We cannot even imagine what the legal consequences of this new FSD approach will be. Tesla seems to have learned nothing from the verdict in Miami earlier this year that found it partially at fault for the death of a young woman. The jury awarded not only compensatory damages but punitive damages as well — something that rarely happens unless the jurors believe a defendant has acted with blatant and reckless disregard for the safety of others.

Can you imagine what a jury would say if an unguided missile — i.e., a Tesla operating on FSD with a dozing driver at the wheel — slams into an SUV full of small children, killing some and seriously injuring others? This new policy seems to be the very definition of gross negligence.

“Gross negligence is an extreme departure from the standard of care, involving a conscious and voluntary disregard for the safety of others, far beyond ordinary negligence. It involves having actual subjective awareness of the extreme risk of harm but proceeding with conscious indifference to the rights and welfare of others. This high degree of recklessness can result in punitive damages to punish the defendant and deter similar future behavior.”

Most companies have lawyers on staff whose job it is to warn those high up in the C suite about dangers that could create serious financial or reputational harm to the company. Clearly, either Tesla has no one performing this vital function or is ignoring their advice. Personal injury lawyers all across America will be salivating when they learn what Tesla has done.