Tesla driver warns of design flaw after getting stuck in McDonald’s drive-thru, but the internet says it’s her fault

Software updates are always a pain; it seems technology has a way of waiting until the most inconvenient time to install them, too. For one Tesla driver, that simple inconvenience we all love to moan about turned into a stressful situation after her car began updating while she was waiting in the McDonald’s drive-thru. However, people have pointed the finger at her and claimed that she would have had to agree to the update.

“Don’t ever update your Tesla when you’re in the freaking drive-thru at McDonald’s,” TikTok user Amanda De La Rosa warns her viewers. “You have to be home; the car is disabled,” she claims.

The video showed Amanda’s POV as she sat in the dead car with nothing but the Tesla logo glowing on the screen. The car is parked in the McDonald’s drive-thru, quite possibly holding up traffic and shutting down the lane until Amanda is able to move her car again, something which viewers claim could take half an hour to an hour.

However, viewers had little sympathy for Amanda, who they claim must have agreed to the update while in the McDonald’s drive-thru. “Why would you update it in a drive thru???” asked one viewer. Another claimed that the car warns drivers that the vehicle would be disabled during the update: “You know it tells you that before you click update right[?]”

Users can schedule their Tesla updates

The Tesla website confirms that users won’t be able to use their vehicles during an update. According to the website, “You CANNOT drive while software is being installed.” However, if the user is driving the vehicle, then the update won’t install.

When the time for updating comes, users are given the choice to install it right away or schedule a time for it to begin. 

Regardless, Amanda’s Tesla ended up being disabled in one of the most awkward places to be stuck. Non-Tesla drivers claimed it was yet another reason not to buy the electric vehicles: “Dont [sic] ever buy a tesla, got it, noted,” wrote one particularly snarky viewer.

Others provided helpful suggestions for moving the car out of the way so that it could continue the update without blocking the flow of traffic through the drive-thru. “Can we put it in neutral and move it?” asked one person. However, others claimed that there were no mechanical gear shifts, meaning that it would be impossible to put it in neutral.

Comments were overall split on whether the update feature was a design flaw and a safety hazard or whether this was simply a case of user error. According to Amanda, the update ended up taking an hour and in another video she showed a Halloween-themed home screen which was supposedly what the update was for. “It’s pretty awesome,” she admitted, adding, “Was it worth it? Probably not.”