Tesla’s upgraded Autopilot likened to ‘kid behind the wheel’

Consumer Reports said Tesla’s latest upgrade to its Autopilot system took it on a wild ride — claiming the electric-car maker’s software drives like “a kid behind the wheel.”

The product-review bible said Wednesday that the Navigate function on Tesla’s Autopilot — which Tesla says is meant to provide a “more seamless” driving experience by automatically changing lanes — raised “serious safety concerns.”

Consumer Reports’ testers found that the Autopilot system would sometimes pass on the right, and often would cut too closely in front of other vehicles.

“The feature cut off cars without leaving enough space and even passed other cars in ways that violate state laws,” Jake Fisher, the magazine’s director of auto testing, wrote. “As a result, the driver often had to prevent the system from making poor decisions.”

“It is reluctant to merge in heavy traffic, but when it does, it often immediately applies the brakes to create space behind the follow car — this can be a rude surprise to the vehicle you cut off,” Fisher added.

Indeed, whenever Navigate was deployed, Fisher said he had to constantly monitor the car instead of being able to relax.

“Using the system is like monitoring a kid behind the wheel for the very first time,” Fisher said. “As any parent knows, it’s far more convenient and less stressful to simply drive yourself.”

In a statement to Consumer Reports, Tesla said that “it is the driver’s responsibility to remain in control of the car at all times, including safely executing lane changes.”

It is the latest indignity for Tesla’s Autopilot system, which earlier this month got press when an aspiring porn star made a viral video in which she had sex with her boyfriend in the front seat of a Tesla while it was in self-driving mode.

Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board published a preliminary report finding that Autopilot was engaged in the moments before a fatal crash in March.

Tesla shares finished the day down 6%, at $192.73.