Tesla cars tricked into accelerating up to 85 MPH in a 35 MPH zone using just a strip of tape

A Tesla vehicle has been tricked into spontaneously accelerating over the speed limit with just a simply strip of tape. Researchers at McAfee placed a two-inch long piece of electrical tape horizontally across the middle of the '3' on a 35 mph speed limit sign, causing the car's camera system to misread it as 85 mph. When the 2016 Tesla Model X drove toward the altered sign in cruise control it automatically accelerated to 50 mph before being stopped by the driver – the same occurred in a 2016 Model S. The findings come just a month after Tesla found itself under investigation after 127 complaints were sent to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) claiming certain models experienced'sudden unintended acceleration'. Researchers at McAfee placed a two-inch long piece of electrical tape horizontally across the middle of the '3' on a 35 mph (left) speed limit sign, causing the car's camera system to misread it as 85 mph (right) The flaw is said to have caused 110 crashes and 52 injuries, with many drivers stating the incident occurred when they attempted to park in a garage or at a curb. However, Tesla has noted that'the car accelerates if, and only if, the driver told it to do so, and it slows or stops when the driver applies the brake'.