Tesla suspends owner's FSD access but keeps charging subscription
A Tesla owner faced a five-day suspension of his Full Self-Driving features due to strikes for rule violations, yet continued paying the monthly fee without interruption. Dre Medici shared his frustration on TikTok, highlighting the policy's impact on subscribers. This incident underscores ongoing debates about Tesla's billing practices for assisted driving software.
Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system includes a strike mechanism to enforce driver attentiveness. Owners receive strikes for actions like not paying attention to the road, covering the cabin camera, or other violations of engagement rules. After accumulating a certain number of strikes, the software suspends access to features such as Autosteer (Beta) and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) for a set period, aiming to enhance safety and data quality for neural network training.
This policy dates back to the 2020 introduction of Full Self-Driving Beta. Tesla's support documentation requires drivers to stay active and attentive with hands on the wheel, stressing that the system does not make the vehicle autonomous.
Dre Medici, a Tesla owner, experienced this firsthand and vented his annoyance in a TikTok video viewed nearly 7,000 times. "They just delayed my autopilot for five days, but they're not delaying my subscription that I pay them an additional $100 a month," he said. His vehicle's on-screen display confirmed the suspension: “Autosteer (Beta) and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) suspended based on your recent driving data. These will be restored on Oct. 11, 2025, at 8:41 p.m.”
Despite the timeout, Medici's $99 monthly subscription continued without pause. Tesla's terms state the service is billed monthly until canceled and does not guarantee uninterrupted access. The company manages features server-side, allowing remote deactivation without altering billing.
Frustrations like Medici's echo across forums such as Reddit's r/TeslaMotors and Tesla Motors Club, where users compare it to paying for unused services. Publications including Electrek and Teslarati have reported similar cases involving suspensions from camera errors or glitches, with Tesla offering no pro-rated refunds.
This reflects wider trends in software-defined vehicles, where features like BMW's heated seats or Mercedes-Benz's acceleration boosts are subscription-based, sparking debates on ownership and access.