If you’re ever involved in a collision with your Tesla, there’s a good chance you can retrieve dashcam footage of the incident—provided the USB drive and glovebox survive. However, sometimes they don’t, and even dashcam footage may not be sufficient.
In such cases, you can request a full recording from Tesla, along with a detailed data report showing comprehensive information about your vehicle’s performance during the collision. Shortly after any impact, your Tesla automatically uploads its crash log and related data to Tesla’s servers when possible, even using the low-voltage battery if the high-voltage pyro fuses are triggered.
Hopefully, you’ll never need this, but here’s how to request a Tesla Vehicle Data Report and what you can expect in the report.
How to Request a Report
Tesla has a simple, automated process for owners to request a Vehicle Data Report. To do so, simply go to Tesla’s Data Association Page and log into your Tesla Account.
From there, you’ll see a form that contains several options. Under “Regarding,” you’ll choose “Data Privacy Request,” and in the next selection, choose “Obtain a Copy of My Data.”
Tesla will then ask you to choose a vehicle that’s attached to your account and a range of dates for which you want data.
Tesla will provide details for the whole date range you specify, so it’s best to keep it small. Once you hit Submit, Tesla will start processing the request. Collision data is kept for an extended period of time, enabling people to go back and find data as required.
The summary page for the Vehicle Data Report
@bilalsattar on X
Within 30 days, and often much sooner, Tesla should e-mail you back with the report in PDF format and a CSV sheet containing all the raw information related to the request. This information is available for any country in which Tesla sells cars. If your country is outside of Tesla’s regular sales zones, you can try reaching out anyway, but we’re not sure if they will retain your data or not.
Tesla can also send you footage and data even if the incident wasn’t recorded as a collision – they’ll send you whatever is available – for any specific timeline you request.
Tesla Vehicle Data Report
The report is several pages long and comes in a nicely formatted PDF package. It breaks down the incident into various sections that help highlight what happened during the event. The first page summarizes the incident by highlighting key events and metrics like Autopilot use and speed.
Summary & Event Information
The Summary and Event Information sections are on the left side of the first page. The summary section is a text version of what happened during the event, reporting the time of the incident, speed, and whether seat belts were used, among other details.
The event information section includes some high-level information, such as the location of the incident, whether dashcam recordings are available, and the date and time.
Driver Log Data Overview
The Driver Log Data Overview section focuses on a few Tesla features and shows whether they were enabled at the five-second mark before the incident, one second before the incident occurred, or at the time of the incident. Tesla will show whether Autosteer / FSD, Driver Monitoring, Cruise Control, and Manual Brakes were used at all of these points. They will also show the status of the driver’s seat belt. Later in the report, Tesla will show graphs for each of these features so that you can see if they changed over the course of the incident.
Speed and Collision
The Vehicle Data Report's formatting
@bilalsattar on X
The Speed and Collision section shows a timeline-based graph of the vehicle’s speed at the time of collision, four seconds before the collision, and four seconds after. The vertical line on the graph represents the collision, giving you a better understanding of what happened before and after the incident. However, in the following pages of the report, Tesla provides numerous time-based graphs that highlight many other metrics, including brake pedal use, accelerator, steering wheel torque and more.
Area of Detected Impact
This area of the report shows the vehicle from the top-down view and which areas detected an impact.
Time-Based Graphs
The rest of the report includes detailed graphs showing various vehicle metrics before, during, and after the incident.
Some of these graphs include the vehicle’s speed, steering wheel torque, steering wheel angle (how much the wheel was being turned and in which direction), accelerator and brake pedal usage, and pressure of the brake master cylinder. Tesla will even show whether any doors were opened during the seconds leading up to or following the incident.
If Tesla has a video of the incident, that will also be provided as a link for you to download. All the other information - the charts and graphs - raw information is also provided in a CSV file, which you can open in software like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
Not a Tesla App
To wrap up, Tesla is currently the only car manufacturer in the world that can provide this information to its customers at the drop of a hat. This information is immensely valuable, and it could be the difference between someone paying an insurance claim or being charged with a crime.
Tesla produces some of the safest vehicles on the planet, and their commitment to safety and reporting is spectacular. We’re happy to see Tesla continue to take steps to better help their customers.
Thanks to Bilal Sattar for sharing his report. We hope you never need to use this, but it’s good to know that it’s available.
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Service Mode allows anyone to access service-related features that help troubleshoot vehicle issues. It’s available for free to all Tesla owners, but caution should be exercised when making any changes. More information about how to access Service Mode is available in our Service Mode guide.
In update 2025.2, Tesla improved two existing Service Mode panels:
Brake Burnishing - Brake burnishing helps condition new brakes and rotors. Tesla states: “The Brake Burnish procedure parameters have been updated to reduce the need for coming to almost a complete stop during each cycle.
This change is available for all vehicles.
Charge Port Calibration - Users can now run a charge port calibration, which can help to either get the charge port to fully close or fully open if you’re having issues or if you’ve refitted or retrofitted the charge port on your own. This was previously a command-line tool in ToolBox3.
In the release notes for service mode, Tesla states: “The charge port door calibration routine (PROC_CP_X_DOOR-SENSOR-CALIBRATION) and charge port latch calibration route (PROC_CP_X_LATCH-CALIBRATION) have been added to the Charging panel. Those routines are required to be run following the replacement of the charge port or charge port door.”
This change only affects the legacy Model S and Model X.
Service Mode+ Updates
The rest of the improvements to Service Mode are exclusive to Service Mode+, which requires a subscription to Tesla’s ToolBox3 software and a connection to a computer. Tesla has added new panels and several improvements to Service Mode+ with update 2025.2.
Accessories Panel - “A new Accessories panel is available to view and change configurations for accessories during retrofits, such as tow package, power liftgate, and soiler. To access the new panel, tap Low Voltage > Accessories.”
Previously, technicians had to manually enter all these configuration changes using the terminal.
This is for all Model 3s and Model Ys.
Signal Viewer Panel - “A new Signal Viewer panel is available to monitor multiple signal values live on a graph. If one or more of the signal values is unavailable, the graph will stop updating. To access the new panel, tap Tools > Signal Viewer.”
This will help technicians diagnose issues in real time when they’re related to signal quality or signal noise throughout the vehicle’s internal electrical systems.
This new panel is available on all vehicles with the AMD Ryzen infotainment processor.
Noise Recording Panel - “To improve the user experience, the recording duration has been decreased to 30 seconds, and reliability of the download routine PROC_ICE_X_FETCH-DIAGNOSTIC-AUDIO-RECORDS has been improved.”
The Noise Recording Panel, which was introduced with the 2024 Holiday Update, has been better tuned to improve technician experience while debugging noises or audio issues within the vehicle.
This particular improvement is only for the Cybertruck.
There’s rarely a software update that goes out that doesn’t include improved or new Service Mode panels. While this update focuses more on improvements to Service Mode+, it still includes other improvements to Service Mode. While these updates are aimed at Tesla technicians and third-party technicians, they also help consumers’ right to repair.
Unplugged Performance makes some amazing performance upgrades for Teslas and other EVs. One of their most recent programs is UP.FIT - where they equip Tesla vehicles for police duty.
Law enforcement agencies have highly specific requirements and the UP.FIT program is designed not only to meet those requirements but exceed them. EVs also come with the additional benefits of reducing maintenance, repairs, and fuel costs.
And UP.FIT isn’t just for run-of-the-mill policing, Unplugged Performance also provides upfitted Tesla vehicles, including the Cybertruck, tailored for specialized roles such as tactical and defense applications. Let’s take a look at what real police officers think too.
“The difference is absolutely staggering. I don’t want to go back to this [ICE car] now.”
Hands-On With Teslas
Not a Tesla App
Police officers from eight different departments in California had the opportunity to participate in a unique event at an Emergency Vehicle Operators Course (EVOC) facility. Law enforcement agencies in North America and Europe are beginning to look at EVs more often, and finding a properly up-fitted EV for police work can be a challenge.
“I’ve never driven one until today, I have a different mindset here at 2:00 than I did at 6 a.m. this morning. I was not necessarily sold, but I am now.”
Unplugged Performance let these officers get hands-on with the Model Y Performance, and compare it to the industry-standard Ford Explorer PIU edition. They also got a chance to see some of the other UP.FIT lineup, including the Model S Plaid Interceptor and Cybertruck Patrol Vehicle.
Not a Tesla App
Reactions
The best part of this was the honest, real reactions from the officers who were trying out modified Teslas on the EVOC track.
“I might go buy one now!”
“I’m thoroughly impressed by how it handled and performed. It’s kind of made a believer out of me.”
“First time driving an electric car… The difference between the [Tesla and Ford] is staggering… I didn’t want to be in the Explorer anymore.”
Several comments talked about the handling of the vehicles - how fun they were to drive, how tight they cornered, and how fast they accelerated. They also mentioned that because of that performance - these cars were able to do things that the Ford Explorer just isn’t capable of.
And when doing simulated chases - our favorite comment “It’s like you don’t even have to try!”
Another fun data point that elicited some great reactions was the battery usage of the cars. The Teslas arrived at around 97% state of charge at 6 am, and at 2 pm, the cars still had about 55-60% of the battery left.
You can watch the entire video from Unplugged Performance below.
Teslas Just Make Sense
At the end of the day, the thing is, Teslas - and EVs in general - just make sense for patrol vehicles. Officers can leave the heat or AC running the entire time without having to idle an engine. EVs also perform far better than their ICE equivalents, and they reduce maintenance and fuel costs massively - especially when you can just charge a whole fleet of patrol vehicles overnight.
Many police officers have commented online and mentioned how they burn massive amounts of gas just idling away with their vehicles, which just continuously burns fuel and increases wear and tear on the thousands of components in an ICE vehicle.
Not a Tesla App
On top of that, this sold individual people - not just as officers but as consumers - on the idea of Teslas and EVs. Putting butts in seats in important, and it’s one of the best ways to convince naysayers that the future is already here.
![Police React to Trying Tesla Patrol Vehicles [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/2025/upfit-cybertruck-defense.webp/45b4df6681a888faba03d8b2fbd9ca6f/upfit-cybertruck-defense.jpg)
