Feb 13 (Reuters) - A crash involving a Tesla

Cybertruck in self-driving mode this week has sparked worries

about the reliability of the company's software that powers the

feature, days after CEO Elon Musk said he would roll out a paid

robotaxi service this year.

The pickup, the latest model in Tesla's lineup, failed to

merge out of a lane that was ending, hit the curb and crashed

into a pole in Nevada's Reno city while on its Full Self-Driving

feature, which still requires a human in control behind the

wheel.

"Don't make the same mistake I did. Pay attention. It is

easy to get complacent now - don't," the driver Jonathan

Challinger said on social media platform X tagging Musk. "Spread

my message and help save others from the same fate or far

worse."

The driver reported that there were unknown mechanical

issues that caused the vehicle to leave the lane and hit the

pole, according to a police report seen by Reuters.

Tesla has for years faced criticism and investigations over

the safety of its advanced driver assistance software following

several crashes, including a fatal one.

But Musk late last month said people skeptical of the

technology should try it now, touting the "immense improvement"

in the safety profile of its latest iteration called Version 13.

The latest Cybertruck accident - which has gone viral on

social media - is a warning sign about the safety of the

technology and Tesla's readiness to take the driver out,

according to autonomous vehicle technology experts.

"The race is on a technology which is not ready for

deployment," said Saber Fallah, professor of Safe AI and

Autonomy at the University of Surrey.

"Lane endings, merges, and sudden road layout changes remain

problematic for AI-driven systems, which lack the cognitive

adaptability of human drivers," he said.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on the crash.

Musk said Tesla will start testing paid ride-hailing

service by June in Austin, Texas - a state with almost no

regulatory requirements for autonomous vehicles - followed by

California and other U.S. regions by the end of the year.

A successful deployment of robotaxis is crucial for Tesla as

it grapples with a broader slowdown in demand for its aging

lineup of EVs, while investors bet heavily on Musk's pivot to

robotics and AI for future growth.

Unlike other automakers, which use redundant

technologies for safety, Tesla's approach relies only on

cameras, making it cheaper but also riskier in challenging

visibility conditions, such as heavy rain, snow or fog,

according to experts.

The accident shows there are problems with FSD's nighttime

detection abilities, data mapping and vision-only approach,

researcher Troy Teslike, who closely tracks Tesla sales and

technologies, said on X.

"FSD doesn't seem ready for driverless operation yet," he

said.

(Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco and Akash Sriram in

Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)