After a pause of several weeks, Tesla (TSLA) started the rollout of a new FSD 13 point release FSD v13.2.9. This release was considered a minor bug fixing version but FSD beta testers have found considerable improvements in their initial first impression drives.
FSD v13.2.9 came as a surprise, because the majority of the Tesla Community was thinking that the automaker would now launch FSD v14 directly.
Original group early access Full Self-Driving (FSD) users like Chuck Cook, Sawyer Merritt, and Black Tesla gave out their thoughts on the new FSD v13.2.9 after initial tests. Some users also shared their experience with this version of FSD driving in rainy conditions.
In the FSD v13.2.6 release notes, Tesla mentioned ‘Improved camera cleaning’, this is the key to better performance in wet and inclement weather conditions. Because Tesla vehicles depend on AI vision technology for self-driving, the clarity of cameras is crucial to deliver consistency in snow and rain scenarios.
FSD beta tester Black Tesla / YouTube, drove his Tesla on FSD v13.2.9 in ‘heavy downpour’. Interestingly, his vehicle didn’t display the “FSD degraded” message. This usually pops up on the screen when there is limited visibility due to rain, snow, or dirty cameras.
However, the Tesla FSD system limited the max speed because of poor visibility. The screen showed an alert message saying “Maximum speed limited – Poor road conditions detected”.
Another Tesla influencer, Sawyer Merritt posted his initial thoughts on X about his first FSD v13.2.9 drive in a mix of rainy and dry conditions. He wrote:
Tonight, I drove for 2 hours using Tesla’s FSD v13.2.9 — with zero critical disengagements. Part of the drive was in the rain, part of it dry.
While cruising on the highway, I kinda just leaned back and thought: “Damn. I just completed a 2-hour trip, and the car drove itself the entire time without needing me to take over once.” We kind of take these things for granted once we get used to them.
I know FSD has been around for years, but the latest version is really good, and it was still pretty wild today watching the car navigate traffic, handle rain, steer away from semi trucks, smoothly go through roundabouts, merge on and off highways, and even take blind turns… all on its own.
Sawyer owns the new design-refreshed Model Y which has an additional bumper camera. Reportedly, the new Model Y performs better on FSD compared to other vehicles. Cybertruck is still struggling in some areas, we will be covering the Cybertruck FSD v13.2.9 review in a separate post.
FSD v13.2.9 received some negative feedback as well. In the video above, as a flatbed semi appears suddently ahead, Tesla FSD fails to stop. Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) took over to stop the vehicle before a possible collision.
Unprotect Left Turn (UPL) and Suicide Lanes on FSD v13.2.9
In the following video, Chuck Cook tested FSD v13.2.9 on his famous unprotected left turn (UPL) in Jacksonville, Florida. This was one of the most challenging UPLs for Tesla FSD since its start.
After almost 3 years of testing at this UPL by Chuck Cook and Tesla employees, FSD v13 is now able to easily complete this type of UPLs.
In the most recent test by Chuck Cook on his HW4/AI4 Model Y, FSD v13.2.9 completed this difficult UPL with confidence and in some instances, it looked even better than a human driver to me.
FSD v13.2.9 also performed well on a UPL that didn’t have a median (suicide lane). Tesla FSD’s self-driving confidence on this suicide lane UPL is worth a watch. Chuck took a long trip in this video, and FSD v13.2.9 handled most of it with ease.
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