In the face of negative publicity resulting from a number of accidents where drivers were using Autopilot, Tesla has reminded owners that they need to pay attention and keep their hands on the steering wheel.
It appears one Tesla employee might not have gotten the memo as a new YouTube video shows a member of Tesla’s Mobile Service slumped behind the steering wheel and apparently unresponsive. While the clip is only a few seconds long, a number of people – including the person who took the video – believe the driver had fallen asleep behind the wheel.
That’s not entirely clear as the person could have experienced a medical emergency or been distracted by something else. Regardless of what happened, it’s certainly not something you want to see in a vehicle that isn’t fully-autonomous.
The video was reportedly recorded earlier this month near Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California. Despite only being a few seconds long, the clip clearly shows the Model S is a Tesla Mobile Service vehicle as the logos are prominently featured on the front doors.
When reached for comment, a Tesla spokesperson told Roadshow, “We take safety very seriously and are investigating this incident.”
While the investigation just kicked off, Tesla Mobile Service vehicles are used to transport technicians to owners who are experiencing problems with their vehicles. Tesla notes this significantly reduces the number of times that a car has to come in for repairs. Tesla’s website says 80% of repairs can be done outside of a service center and the company has added over 350 service vans since 2017.