Tesla will be issuing an OTA recall for the seatbelt warning system later this month, according to paperwork that was published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this Friday.
Impacts
This recall is estimated to impact 125,000 vehicles across Tesla’s entire model range, including the Model S, X, 3, and Y. At this time, there is no indication of this recall reaching the Cybertruck.
Relying on the Cabin Camera
The recall addresses the driver occupancy sensor – a known problem since at least 2020 on some vehicles. This recall indicates that it may impact more vehicles than just those where people have noticed an issue.
The sensor completes the circuit and provides a signal when the driver is seated – but with some vehicles, even when the sensor is depressed by the weight of the driver, no visual or audio reminders will be given when the driver’s seatbelt isn’t fastened.
Tesla hacker, Greentheonly recently discovered that Tesla is going to stop relying on the occupancy sensors in its seats, which appears related to this OTA recall.
By relying on the cabin camera, Tesla will not only be able to resolve the occupancy sensor issue, but also reduce costs across their vehicles. Tesla currently use an occupancy sensor for each seat position.
Instead Tesla is expected to use the internal camera to detect occupancy of the seats, similar to their vision-based belt tensioners. Tesla already uses the cabin camera for various tasks, such as detecting whether there are any occupants in the vehicle and for driver monitoring. In FSD 12.4, Tesla is expected to rely more heavily on its driver monitoring system in order to remove the steering wheel nag in most situations.
Advantages of Using the Cabin Camera
Leveraging the cabin camera instead of weight occupancy sensors may actually become an improvement over the sensors that can be triggered accidentally.
If a heavy object or children’s seat is placed on a seat, it can cause the seat belt warning to be triggered incorrectly.
Software Update
This will be an OTA update, which means that as usual, Tesla vehicles will not have to come into service centers. Tesla is changing how the seat belt warning reminder will function – rather than relying on the sensor, it is expected to rely on the cabin camera to trigger the visual and audio warnings if the vehicle is put into drive or reverse and the driver seatbelt isn’t fastened.
There is currently no indication whether this update will be coming to Canada or other regions besides the United States in its initial release, but eventually we expect this change to apply to all regions.
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It has been a long wait for FSD for European customers, many of whom paid for the feature years ago on now legacy hardware. While the FSD transfer program has come and gone multiple times, there’s something to be said about having it available in North America, where it can be used, and in Europe or other countries, where it still just remains the same as Enhanced Autopilot (differences between Autopilot, EAP, and FSD).
FSD Transfer is a nice goodwill gesture from Tesla that in theory doesn’t cost them anything. Instead, it keeps customers, especially those who have been waiting for years, loyal and happy. It also incentivizes them to upgrade to a newer Tesla with HW4, where FSD will hopefully be achieved.
In a reply to a post on X, Elon agreed with the suggestion that offering FSD transfers in Europe would be a fair solution for those who have already purchased FSD but can’t use its capabilities.
FSD Transfer directly addresses a growing concern for many long-term European Tesla owners. Thousands of customers purchased the full package, often many years ago, with the expectation that FSD would eventually be capable and approved for use. However, the reality is that FSD, even as an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), continues to be pushed back in Europe.
Without the transfer program, it's a difficult choice: either throw away your original investment in FSD and pay for the package a second time (FSD price history), or subscribe to it in the future.
Offering FSD transfers is a good way for Tesla to meet them halfway. It's a difficult situation, and one that’s being hindered by processes beyond the control of both the customer and Tesla. However, a transfer helps both parties. Tesla sells another vehicle, and the customer gets to keep FSD.
When Will it Be Available?
Based on how FSD transfers have worked in the past following Elon’s announcements, this feature is likely to become available for a limited time period in the coming days or weeks. If it happens, we should expect an announcement from Tesla Europe on X and emails being sent out to Tesla customers.
Once the program is in place, all you need to do is complete your vehicle purchase and then inform your Tesla sales advisor that you’d like to transfer FSD. You don’t even have to sell or trade in your old Tesla; FSD will simply be removed from it as a feature.
Hopefully, Tesla enables FSD Transfers for everyone, regardless of region. It should be an ongoing offer until at least FSD is approved in the given country or region.
The introductory price for Tesla’s Robotaxi Network has finally been updated. In a post on X, Elon Musk confirmed that the new fare would be rolling out to complement the new Robotaxi geofence expansion.
This change marks the first adjustment to Tesla’s fares since the initial $4.20 launch price 23 days ago. While the price increase may seem significant in terms of percentages, when compared to other options in the ride-hailing area, it is still drastically cheaper.
But the price is now a princely $6.90, as foretold in the prophecy 😂
Robotaxi currently operates on a simple, flat-rate model. The new $6.90 fare gets you a ride to anywhere within the recently expanded geofence.
So far, this is the opposite approach compared to other services, such as Waymo or traditional ride-sharing options like Uber and Lyft. All these services use dynamic pricing based on distance, time of day, and demand. A comparable trip on any one of these services could cost anywhere from $30 to $65, and potentially even higher during peak hours.
That doesn’t even include the tip fees for human drivers either - another win for Robotaxi (can you tip a Robotaxi?).
Even with the adjustment, the flat $6.90 fare remains less than half the price of a typical competing ride, making Robotaxi the most affordable point-to-point transportation option in Austin, aside from mass transit, for now.
A “Maturing” Service
The price change, moving from one meme-worthy number to another, is a sign that Robotaxi is finally graduating from its initial pilot phase. Following the first major expansion of the service area, this adjustment is a logical next step towards finding a more sustainable flat price.
While the new fare is a 65% increase over the old fare, the key takeaway is that it is still far cheaper than other options, and still just as meme-worthy. Tesla is aiming to have its early access riders complete as many rides as possible during these early months, and this pricing is still very reflective of that.
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