Tesla is reportedly gearing up to address long-standing complaints about its auto wipers, which have been a source of frustration for owners of Tesla vehicles manufactured in 2018 and later, particularly in regions with varying weather conditions.
Unlike traditional rain sensor-based systems commonly found in premium vehicles, Tesla’s auto wipers rely on its Autopilot cameras and a computer vision neural net. While this approach was meant to offer a more advanced and integrated solution, it has led to several issues, including inaccuracies in detecting precipitation intensity and improper activation or speed adjustments of the wipers.
Many Tesla owners have voiced their concerns over the years, noting that the auto wipers often activate unnecessarily or fail to respond promptly to actual precipitation. The problem has become so notorious that it has been a subject of jokes and criticism, with some former Tesla employees openly mocking the company over the issue.
In response to a recent complaint posted on a forum, a Tesla AI engineer named Yun-Ta Tsai indicated that the company is actively working on improvements and that an update addressing the auto wiper issues is in the works, with a rollout expected “soon.” While this news is encouraging for Tesla owners who have been struggling with the auto wiper performance, it’s not the first time the company has promised improvements in this area.
The new improvement should go out soon.
— Yun-Ta Tsai (@YunTaTsai1) February 19, 2024
In the past, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has acknowledged the problem and claimed to have a solution in the form of a new “Deep Rain” neural net specifically designed for the vision-based auto wipers. However, the effectiveness of this solution remains to be seen, as previous attempts to improve the auto wiper functionality have not fully resolved the issues.
