By 2025, many vehicles will be capable of driving and even parking themselves with little to no input from the driver. But what happens when a car decides to take off on its own—without being asked?
That’s no longer just a hypothetical question. Automakers are packing today’s vehicles with cutting-edge semi-autonomous features—things like enhanced cruise control and automatic braking. But as one seasoned automotive journalist recently discovered, these futuristic systems can sometimes deliver unnerving surprises behind the wheel.
Dodge Charger Daytona EV: A Test Drive Gone Sideways
For Brent Romans, Senior Manager of Written Content at Edmunds, test-driving cars is nothing new. He’s logged countless hours evaluating vehicles and relaying his insights to car shoppers. But his recent encounter with the all-electric Dodge Charger Daytona EV was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.
While conducting a routine test drive in the 2024 model, Romans noticed something alarming: the car was accelerating on its own. He hadn’t pressed the pedal, yet the Charger was gaining speed—at a rate of about one mile per hour every second. Caught off-guard but staying calm, he managed to slow the vehicle down and bring it to a stop. But even that wasn’t easy—he noted that braking felt compromised.
According to Stellantis, Dodge’s parent company, the vehicle’s “drive-by-brake” system kicked in exactly as it was supposed to, allowing Romans to regain control. Still, the experience raised a red flag—not just for Romans, but for the broader conversation around the safety of software-driven vehicles.
Unintended Acceleration: A Growing Concern in EVs
This isn’t the first time electric vehicles have been caught accelerating unexpectedly. Back in 2022, Ford recalled 464 Mustang Mach-E SUVs due to a bug that could cause unintended acceleration. More recently, the brand issued another recall tied to faulty rearview camera displays—another glitch that could easily lead to accidents.
These incidents underscore a troubling truth: as vehicles become more dependent on software, they also become more vulnerable to digital malfunctions. Something as small as a software hiccup could have serious real-world consequences.
Software Glitches, OTA Fixes, and New Challenges
In today’s EV landscape, most software issues can be addressed through over-the-air (OTA) updates—patches delivered directly to the vehicle without requiring a visit to the dealership. While OTA updates offer unmatched convenience, they come with their own pitfalls.
As MotorTrend has reported, some OTA updates have caused unexpected complications, disrupting vehicle functionality rather than improving it. This raises important questions: Can drivers trust that an update won’t introduce new problems? Are these systems being tested thoroughly enough before reaching consumers?
Software-Dependent Cars: A New Kind of Risk
While some tech glitches—like an unresponsive touch screen—are annoying but harmless, others pose genuine safety risks. The more our cars rely on lines of code to operate, the more room there is for those systems to fail.
Take Tesla’s Autopilot system as an example. In 2024, The Wall Street Journal published an investigation into the risks associated with the semi-autonomous driving mode. Though designed to reduce driver workload, Autopilot was found in multiple instances to have difficulty identifying obstacles or responding to potential crash scenarios.
Despite Tesla boasting one of the most advanced driver-assistance systems in the industry, the investigation revealed that even top-tier technology isn’t immune to dangerous bugs. Drivers still need to remain fully alert—even when the system suggests it can handle most of the work.
Final Thoughts: The Future of Driving Needs Caution
The rise of semi-autonomous vehicles brings incredible promise—but also new responsibilities for both manufacturers and drivers. As cars become more intelligent, their behavior becomes less predictable, and the margin for error can shrink dramatically.
What happened with the Dodge Charger Daytona EV is a reminder: no matter how advanced the technology, it’s not infallible. And for now, the most important safety feature in any car remains the human behind the wheel.
