Tesla is disabling radar sensors in customers’ cars during routine service checks

Tesla has instructed technicians to remove the radar from older Model S electric vehicles, despite adding a new sensor to its latest cars.

for Sam D. Smith

May 15, 2023 at 6:26 p.m

In 2021, Tesla made the controversial decision to stop selling cars with radar sensors and instead implemented “Tesla Vision,” a system that uses the car’s external cameras to see the world. Now it appears that Tesla is doubling down on its move away from the radar by issuing a new service bulletin that physically disconnects the radar from cars already equipped with the sensor, without removing it.

According to the new directive, which was shared on Reddit, Tesla technicians must disconnect the radar sensors at an appropriate time, which, based on user reports, varies from routine maintenance at a service center to home visits to attend to seemingly unrelated problems.

Disabling radars appears to be currently restricted to 2021-2022 Model S cars with software 2022.20.9 or later. Tesla employees have clarified that this measure is implemented due to the redundancy of the radars after the transition to Tesla Vision.

Related: Elon Musk Overruled Tesla Engineers Who Knew Removing Radar Was A Bad Idea

The reason for the move has been explained that the sensor continues to consume power, even though the Tesla Vision suite of camera-based technology has replaced the radar functionality. Another reported problem could be the possibility of water ingress problems with the sensors. Either way, Tesla technicians are disabling the units and installing a cap on the ends of the connector, a simple enough job, but it eliminates any chance that cars with radar sensors can use them again.

Earlier this year, it came to light that some Tesla engineers expressed deep concern about Elon Musk’s decision in 2021 to remove radar from new cars. The move was widely seen as a cost-cutting measure, but it limited Autopilot functionality in many vehicles for months before an update was released. There was also an increase in complaints filed with regulators in the months following the decision. This included incidents of “phantom braking” and vehicles failing to detect emergency vehicles.

However, Tesla’s love-hate relationship with radar appears to be puzzling. Given the updated 4.0 hardware unit in the latest Model S and Model X, the latest move to disable radar in older vehicles is particularly puzzling. That’s because the latest cars have added radar, and Drive Tesla Canada reports that this hardware package includes a high-definition radar. However, its functionality has not yet been activated, pending a software update.

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In 2021, Tesla made the controversial decision to stop selling cars with radar sensors and instead implemented “Tesla Vision,” a system that uses the car’s external cameras to see the world. Now it would seem that Tesla is doubling down on its move away from radar with the issuance of a new service bulletin that physically disconnects the radar from cars already fitted with the sensor, without removing it."
  [1]=>
  string(449) "



According to the new directive that was shared on Reddit, Tesla technicians are to disconnect the radar sensors at an appropriate time which, from user reports, varies from routine maintenance at a service center to domestic visits to attend to seemingly unrelated issues."
  [2]=>
  string(266) "



The disabling of radars appears to be currently restricted to 2021-2022 Model S cars running software 2022.20.9 or later. Tesla employees have clarified that this measure is implemented due to the redundancy of radars following the transition to Tesla Vision."
  [3]=>
  string(231) "



Related: Elon Musk Overruled Tesla Engineers Who Knew Removing Radar Was A Bad Idea"
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The reason behind the move has been explained that the sensor continues to draw power, even though the Tesla Vision suite of camera-based tech has superseded the radar’s functionality. Another issue reported could be the possibility of water ingress issues with the sensors. Either way, Tesla techs are now disabling the units and installing a cap at the ends of the connector – a simple enough job, but it eliminates any chance for those cars with radar sensors ever to use them again."
  [5]=>
  string(505) "



Earlier this year, it came to light that some Tesla engineers expressed great concern at Elon Musk’s 2021 decision to remove radar from new cars. The move was widely seen as a cost-cutting measure but limited the autopilot functionality of many vehicles for months before an update was rolled out. An uptick in complaints filed with regulators was also noted in the months following the decision. This included incidents of “phantom braking” and vehicles failing to detect emergency vehicles."
  [6]=>
  string(636) "



However, Tesla’s love-hate affair with radar seems to be a baffling one. Considering the latest Model S and Model X’s upgraded Hardware 4.0 unit, the latest move to disable radar on older vehicles is especially puzzling. That’s because the latest cars have added radar back, with Drive Tesla Canada reporting that this hardware package includes a high-definition radar. However, its functionality has not yet been activated, pending a software update."
  [7]=>
  string(1947) "




         
            
  
        "

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