Tesla in Autopilot Mode Crashes Into California Police Car

The bad news for Tesla’s autopilot continues, as a sedan in autopilot mode crashed into a parked police cruiser in Southern California Tuesday.

Police Sgt. Jim Cota says the officer was not in the cruiser during the crash in Laguna Beach. He says the Tesla driver suffered minor injuries.

The police SUV ended up with its two passenger-side wheels on a sidewalk.

Tesla’s semi-autonomous autopilot mode has come under scrutiny following other recent crashes. The carmaker says the function is not designed to avoid a collision and warns drivers not to rely on it entirely.

Also Tuesday, a Greek police official said that the driver of a Tesla Model 3 claims that the car’s autopilot malfunctioned before he was involved in an accident in northern Greece Friday night.

No other vehicle was involved in the Friday night accident, and no one was injured. The official said that the driver, an American touring Europe, did not break any driving laws and passed a Breathalyzer test administered on the spot.

The accident happened on a highway outside the northern town of Florina. The driver, You You Xue, said in a social-media posting that the car suddenly swerved off course at a fork while in autopilot mode.