In Tesla, the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) package has a high rate of development, as the new one is focused on improving the perception, comfort, and minimizing unnecessary interventions in every version. Among the largest fixes to quality-of-life in FSD v14.2 is the removal of abnormal braking due to leaf-covered road surfaces, the behaviour that had been present in the earlier v14 releases. The recently shared side-by-side comparison is effective in demonstrating how the update alters the vehicle’s behavior in rural conditions with debris.
The Problem with the previous versions
There was a known problem in FSD v14.1.7 and other early versions of the platform: it was observed that drivers were suddenly interrupted by unintended braking when the car hit fallen leaves on the road. These sudden decelerations were also known as phantom braking, even though there were no real barriers. Since the system used by Tesla relies on camera vision, the perception stack is sometimes confused by large leaf patches and interprets changing textures or shadows as threats.
This translates to unwarranted slowing down of something that is not comfortable to passengers and may be fatal to other vehicles behind them. Although phantom braking has been an issue in most advanced driver-assistance systems, this could be of particular concern to drivers in areas with dense seasonal foliage, owing to the vision-only model produced by Tesla.
Tesla FSD (Supervised) v14.2 fixes the abnormal braking triggered by leaves on the road, an issue seen in earlier v14 releases.pic.twitter.com/GMJ4hx2ZPh https://t.co/MVmoyETThY
— The Tesla Newswire (@TeslaNewswire) November 21, 2025
Side-by-Side Comparison: v14.1.7 vs. v14.2
The shared footage shows clearly the difference in the way the latest update of Tesla deals with the situation in question. In the best comparison video with FSD v14.1.7, the vehicle is heading towards a small wooded path, which has fallen leaves in autumn. When the camera sweeps over the uneven, changing textures on the floor, the system glitches and halts suddenly, just as many users had already complained of.
However, the bottom clip with FSD v14.2 narrates otherwise. The car moves along the same road with stability and confidence, with a steady pace and responding to the legal conditions on the road. The leaves are completely neglected, as a human driver would do so. This change reflects a significant change in perception, accuracy of classification, and prediction of behavior.
What the Fix Tells You about the Tesla Developments
The fix is not merely a bug fix; it is a more extensive fix to the neural-network models of Tesla. Leaves are not easy things: they can be shaped differently and have different colors, accumulate in an uneven manner, move erratically in the wind, and present intriguing shadows. To a system that has been trained to identify the obstacles, discern between debris and harmless data, and those that are significant hazards takes colossal volumes of data to be carefully tuned.
Through this, FSD v14.2 is better at contextual reasoning. Instead of responding to all visually ambiguous textures, the system now perceives the environment in a more human-like way, i.e., it can differentiate between environmental clutter and actual road hazards.
Increased Driving Confidence and Comfort
One of the major complaints among the drivers using semi-autonomous systems is Phantom braking. Although such actions might be taken out of precaution, unpredictable deceleration may destroy trust and decrease its safety. The enhanced behavior in v14.2 has the direct advantage of building faith in the user and enhancing the driving experience.
Also, the new visualization interface, as presented in the v14.2 clip, appears sharper and more interactive. This does not change the way the system makes decisions but just provides the driver with a better idea of what the vehicle is seeing, thus making it easier and more intuitive to supervise.
