Vehicle vandalism—especially the misguided vandalism of privately owned Teslas has been on the rise. While some owners are fortunate enough to catch perpetrators with Sentry Mode or security cameras, many vandals escape without consequence, often without even triggering the vehicle’s alarm.
Recently, Tesla vandalism has escalated, including the arson of a Tesla showroom in France and the destruction of a Supercharger site in the U.S. Beyond attacks on the company itself, Tesla owners are also being targeted, regardless of any connection to the controversies surrounding the brand.
Although Sentry Mode is effective for capturing incidents after the fact, it does little to prevent them in the moment. While useful for insurance claims and law enforcement, it doesn’t actively deter criminal activity. A simple honk or alarm trigger could go a long way in discouraging bad actors before they cause damage.
Littleton Fire Department
Honking at Vandalism
Now, that may all come to an end. In response to a post requesting Tesla’s engineers to find a way to protect vehicles from getting keyed, Elon Musk responded that your Tesla could potentially honk at people when it detects activity like your vehicle being keyed or spray-painted.
Musk suggested the idea in response to a video on X showing a Tesla being keyed. While this type of vandalism isn’t new, incidents have been increasing. Given Tesla’s ability to detect lane markings and surrounding objects, it could just as easily recognize destructive behavior like keying. A simple honk can go a long way in deterring this kind of behavior.
It’s a small change but increasingly necessary in a world where tensions are rising and Tesla owners are being targeted. This addition would shift Sentry Mode from a mostly reactive feature to a proactive one, helping to reduce vehicle damage.
Sentry Mode has continued to improve throughout the years. In the Christmas update, Tesla added the ability to view Sentry Mode videos directly on your phone. Although this is limited to iPhones right now, we expect this to open up to Android devices in the future. We’re also expecting Sentry Mode efficiency changes in an upcoming update.
Tesla’s Autopilot safety features appear to be undergoing a big architectural shift, and it’s one that many may not have noticed. When a vehicle activates Lane Departure Avoidance, the visualization would previously flip back to the old Autopilot visualization, hinting that the vehicle was using the old Autopilot stack.
With Basic Autopilot not being available on the Cybertruck, Lane Departure Avoidance and Lane Assist, two safety features that leveraged the old Autopilot stack, were also absent on the Cybertruck.
However, with the 2025.14 update, Tesla added these two safety features to the Cybertruck and introduced a new visualization for Lane Departure Avoidance. Since Basic Autopilot is still not available on the Cybertruck, we believe these safety features have been migrated to the newer FSD stack.
This affects all vehicles with FSD, not just the Cybertruck, and includes vehicles on HW3 and HW4. Vehicles without FSD do not appear to have received the updated Lane Departure Avoidance (LDA). Vehicles with older FSD hardware, such as HW 2.5, will likely also remain on the older version of LDA.
Undocumented change in 2024.14.3.1… when using the FSD visualization, it no longer switches back to the AP visualization when lane departure assist is activated; it now just highlights the line in blue. This used to drive me nuts! @teslascope@NotATeslaApp@SawyerMerrittpic.twitter.com/psZYdWVNL3
One of the most noticeable changes is that Lane Departure Avoidance no longer causes your screen to revert to the old Autopilot visualization and instead keeps the FSD visualizations on the screen. Lane Departure Avoidance also features a new visualization.
As shown in the video above, the new visualization now highlights the lane marking you’re going over in blue on both sides. If your vehicle activates Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance, then the road marking will turn red.
Note the red line with Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance on FSD.
Not a Tesla App
Note: At this time, it appears that this only applies to vehicles with FSD. Non-FSD-equipped vehicles will likely continue to use the older Autopilot stack for safety features for the time being.
Software Unification
This is big news - many people have been wondering why Tesla hasn’t started offering a subset of FSD features to users who only have access to Autopilot, either because they don’t have the FSD package, or they live outside of North America and China.
This appears to be a big step in Tesla unifying its software features and making FSD the standard Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) for all vehicles.
Free Up Resources for FSD
By moving some features over to FSD, Tesla is also cutting out the old software stack, freeing up additional resources for FSD’s immense resource consumption. This could result in future benefits as Tesla stops running two similar software stacks side-by-side. This could also mean that these features will perform better under FSD than Autopilot since FSD has a better understanding of its environment.
There are still numerous features that work under the old Autopilot stack. In the near future, this could also apply to the rest of Tesla’s Autopilot safety features, including Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), and Obstacle-Aware Acceleration. However, these features have less obvious visual signs, and it could make it more difficult to tell when Tesla transitions these features over to the FSD stack.
FSD-Based Autopilot
This technical migration of safety features fuels some speculation on our part. Tesla has refrained from updating or improving Autopilot for the most part, with the notable exception of adding Curvature Assist in 2024.38.
When core and basic vehicle control and safety features, including an Autosteer equivalent, run on the FSD stack, Tesla will likely make their move to make a new version of Autopilot the standard offering on its vehicles instead of the current legacy stack. This creates a consistent baseline while still differentiating the paid FSD package through its autonomous nature.
We’re excited to see what Tesla releases on this front - as it’ll have a massive impact on millions of drivers globally who don’t use FSD. The fact that this new safety feature has been confirmed to function on both HW3 and HW4 vehicles is a big plus - Tesla isn’t forgetting about older users in their rush to an autonomous future.
Teslas are generally known as low-maintenance vehicles since there are no oil changes to perform, coolant flushes, and brake pads can last 200,000 miles or more thanks to regenerative braking.
However, there are still some parts that wear out and need to be replaced. One of these things is your windshield wipers.
This guide will walk you through identifying the right size for your vehicle, accessing Wiper Service Mode, and how to replace them.
You’ll want to look for these common signs that your wiper blades are due for a change:
Streaking
Smearing
Skipping/Chattering
Squeaking
Visible Damage
As a general rule of thumb, Tesla recommends replacing your wiper blades once a year, although we’ve found they generally last much longer than this, even in snowy areas. However, your local climate, whether your vehicle is garaged, and how often you use them will play a key role. Keep in mind that the sun will harden and degrade the rubber of the blades, even if you don’t use them.
Windshield Wiper Sizes by Model
Finding the correct size of blades can sometimes be difficult. Blade sizes and adapter types can vary between third-party vendors and Tesla. Here’s a table displaying the correct wiper sizes based on the model.
Model
Driver Side Length
Passenger Side Length
Model 3 (all years)
26" (650mm)
19" (480mm)
Model Y (all years)
26" (650mm)
20" (500mm)
2021+ Model S
26" (650mm)
20" (500mm)
2021+ Model X
26" (650mm)
21" (533mm)
2012-2020 Model S
Varies - see below
Varies - see below
2015-2020 Model X
Varies - see below
Varies - see below
Cybertruck
48” (1220mm)
NA
The wiper blade sizes are straightforward for the Model 3 and Model Y. However, things get a little more complicated for the Model S and Model X due to Tesla using different wiper arms that require different wiper blades over the years.
If you have a legacy Model S or Model X (2012-2020 model years), then your vehicle may use the same blade sizes as the newer Model S and X or use longer 28” and 18” blade sizes. Your best bet is to turn on Wiper Service Mode (see below) and measure the length of the driver and passenger blades.
Which Wipers to Get
We recommend a pair of high-quality Bosch ICON wipers—the same wipers that are already on your Tesla. They offer great performance and make replacement really quick and simple. While third-party wipers may also work great, they often need an adapter, which can make installation confusing or complicated.
You can get most Bosch ICON wipers directly from Amazon for about $30 below.
Tesla uses Bosch-style wiper arm tabs. Most third-party wipers include adapters, but you’ll want to make sure they support the correct Bosch adapter—either #4 or #6—depending on your vehicle. Adapter requirements can vary by region and model year; for example, some 2021 Model Ys use a #4, while others use a #6.
Since there’s no definitive rule, we recommend checking the third-party manufacturer’s compatibility guide or opting for Tesla’s OEM Bosch wipers above, which are competitively priced.
Wiper Service Mode
To safely and easily replace your wipers, you’ll want to enable Wiper Service Mode. This lifts up the wiper away from the windshield and hood edge and also prevents them from automatically turning on if they sense water.
Once the vehicle is in Park, go to Controls > Service > Wiper Service Mode. The wipers will then move to their service position. Just turn off Wiper Service Mode once you’re done examining or replacing the wipers.
Once you’re done replacing the wipers, it’s also a good idea to mark them as replaced in Tesla’s Maintenance summary. This will keep track of the date your wipers were changed and record your odometer reading, making it easier to see when you may need a replacement.
Go to Controls > Service > Maintenance and select Wiper Replacement to mark your wipers as changed.
Replacing the Wipers
With Wiper Service Mode active, replacing the wipers is straightforward as long as you’re using the Bosch wipers or know which third-party adapter to use. The Cybertruck has its own set of instructions further down.
Place a soft towel or cloth on the windshield beneath the wiper arms. This can help prevent scratching or an impact on the windshield if the arm springs back away from you.
Lift one wiper arm slightly away from the windshield (wiper arms do not lock upward)
Release the wiper blade by pressing firmly on the square locking tab at the top, where the blade meets the wiper arm.
Slide the old blade off the hook or pin, and note its orientation.
Install the new blade onto the wiper arm, ensuring it’s oriented the same way the old one was removed. Slide the blade onto the new arm until it clicks into place.
Give the blade a gentle tug to ensure it is locked into place.
Lower the wiper arm, and repeat steps 2-6 for the other side.
Exit Wiper Service Mode
Give your wipers a test run to make sure everything functions smoothly before driving.
Cybertruck
We recommend carefully reading the Cybertruck Owner’s Manual for a wiper replacement. The washer hose barb needs to be removed and reinstalled with the Cybertruck’s replacement wiper blade, but the rest of the procedure is much the same, except the arm does not lock upwards.
There are no third-party wiper replacements for the Cybertruck that exist at the time of writing, so you’ll need to purchase them from the Tesla store. Service locations will generally have them in stock and can do a replacement if requested. As far as we can see, Service will offer a goodwill wiper swap when you purchase one on-site.
Cybertruck's massive wiper blade - only Tesla offers it, for now.