A viral video posted on social media shows a Tesla vehicle crashing into a multimillion-dollar private jet after its owner tried to “summon” it with an automated parking function.
The video, which was first posted to Reddit this week and later shared to Twitter, has been viewed more than 3 million times as of Saturday morning. The incident reportedly happened at an event sponsored by aircraft manufacturer Cirrus at Felts Field in Spokane, Washington, according to The Verge.
The video shows surveillance camera footage of a Tesla Model Y slowly ramming into a Cirrus Vision jet costing nearly $3.5 million, the news outlet reported.
According to social media posts, the vehicle’s owner used Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, which is designed to help cars negotiate obstacles to get in and out of nearby parking lots on their own. Through the Tesla app, an owner can move their vehicle by targeting a location via GPS, as long as the car is within 20 feet and in the owner’s line of sight.
“This is useful for maneuvering Model Y out of a tight parking space, driving through puddles, or helping you locate your car while carrying packages. You must maintain a clear line of sight between you and Model Y and closely monitor the vehicle and its surroundings at all times,” Tesla said on its website.
A viral video showed a Tesla Model Y crashing into a $3.5 million private jet when the vehicle’s owner attempted to use the “Smart Summon” feature. Above is a Tesla at the opening of a new Tesla plant producing Model Y on March 22 near Grünheide, Germany. Christian Marquardt/Getty Images
Smart Summon was first introduced in 2019, but Tesla owners quickly found that the feature was riddled with glitches, with several users reporting their cars becoming confused or involved in accidents during testing. Some owners reported their vehicles ramming into garages, while others noticed their cars attempting to drive into traffic.
“Be forewarned @Tesla @elonmusk Advanced Summoning is not safe or production ready. Tried in my empty driveway. The car drove forward and hit the side of the garage. I love the car but I’m sad,” wrote one Twitter user.
Overall, Tesla’s self-driving capabilities, or advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), have often been seen as controversial. The company offers three levels of ADAS systems including Basic Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self Driving Beta.
The company has previously been criticized for misleading the public into believing its ADAS systems could allow drivers to take their attention completely off the road. In reality, Tesla states that all drivers should be ready to take over in no time when working with an ADAS system.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently investigating at least 12 cases in which Tesla vehicles with autopilot features enabled collided with stationary emergency vehicles, Newsweek reported last month. In one incident, a Tesla driver on Autopilot in North Carolina was watching a movie on his cell phone when his vehicle crashed into a parked police car, hitting a sheriff’s deputy.
Newsweek contacted Tesla for further comment.