A shadowy industry has emerged around Tesla’s "Full Self-Driving Capability" (FSD) optional feature, attracting the attention of some Chinese car owners. The official price for Tesla FSD in China is set at RMB 64,000, but the full range of its capabilities has yet to be officially launched in the market. In the meantime, merchants advertising "FSD cracking" services have popped up across short-video platforms, second-hand trading sites, and offline modification shops, with prices varying from a few thousand yuan up to RMB 30,000. These services take advantage of car owners' eagerness for advanced driver-assistance technologies and the frustration stemming from the delayed rollout of official features. By connecting external devices to the vehicle’s Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, these merchants mimic authorized access to activate FSD functions. Choosing a "cracked" solution means sidestepping the manufacturer’s authorization process, over-the-air (OTA) updates, and safety verification protocols. As a result, the vehicle could be permanently stuck on an outdated software version, missing out on official improvements and security updates. There’s also the potential for disrupting communication on the CAN bus, which could lead to safety systems—such as airbags—failing to operate correctly, with the manufacturer no longer assuming responsibility for driving safety in such cases.

The full launch of Tesla FSD in China has faced repeated delays, leaving some customers who have paid for the feature unable to access its complete functionality or obtain refunds in a timely manner. Moreover, cracked FSD systems, which are typically trained on overseas road data, often struggle with accuracy and adaptability when used on domestic roads. In South Korea, using cracked devices to activate FSD has been deemed a criminal act. The rise of this FSD "cracking" industry highlights a disconnect between the delivery of promised features, user expectations, and safety assurances in the age of smart vehicles. Tesla needs to expedite the compliant rollout of FSD functions while maintaining safety standards and improving mechanisms to safeguard user rights.