The minimalist Tesla Model S was revolutionary in proving to the world that software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with over-the-air update capability are the future of vehicle maintenance, but it could be fair to say that logic has lead the company to … leave a few features out that may be commonly found on other new cars, possibly with the notion to update the Tesla in the future with more capabilities. As revolutionary as its vehicles are, Tesla’s owners still have rational suggestions and complaints that have now been collected into a single Reddit thread, giving us a useful insight into the top features requested by owners who’ve lived with these cars.
By far the biggest request on the list seems to be rain-sensing headlights, or a setting that doesn’t currently exist on Teslas that will automatically activate the headlights when the vehicle detects precipitation. The thinking is that, if the vehicle already has automatic wipers, why can’t the lights be wired into the same logic? It seems like it’d be an easy update, and it might improve safety in wet conditions in case the driver doesn’t think to do it themselves.
The other major common request in the Reddit thread relates to the blind spot and vehicle detection sensor suite on Tesla vehicles. The complaint is that, sometimes, the Tesla doesn’t seem to recognize a vehicle in the blind spot, or in other cases, it recognizes a car two lanes over, prohibiting what should be a free and easy lane change. Owners are requesting an improvement to the fidelity of the system, as well as further adoption of enhanced display screens, like highlighting vehicles shown as detected on the Tesla’s interior screen map with yellow to make them stand out more. Some owners also pointed out that Teslas don’t feature in-mirror warning lights for the blind-spot monitoring, like many modern cars have adopted, which makes it easy as a driver to be aware when a vehicle is in the danger zone.
Another infotainment and safety system related complaint comes from the Tesla navigation. Owners have requested a chime that activates when the next turn or direction is coming up. At the present moment, the driver either has to have voice navigation on, with a computerized speaker announcing directions, or they have to consistently look directly at the screen. A well-timed chime when the next navigation direction is approaching would be a nice compromise, and help owners avoid missing directions. There were a few complaints about not being able to set different zoom levels on the navigation map, as well.
Tesla also seems to be having issues with its music streaming and Bluetooth connection software. Owners have complained that both Spotify and Apple Music struggle to autoplay when connecting at times, or the music needs to be shuffled or restarted to display the accurate information on screen. Bluetooth audio reportedly plays with a delay for music but not calls, and overpowers the navigation directions with no interruption or lowering of volume in the music when the direction is being read aloud.
Some other complaints include not being able to shut off just the passenger’s air ventilation for improved efficiency when the driver is alone in the car, navigation settings that let you program a desired state-of-charge for your vehicle once you arrive which then maps Supercharger stations along the route, a basic “valet” parking mode, a rear cross traffic alert warning system, so-called “dumb” cruise control (which likely means a basic speed setting instead of full-on Autopilot), and the ability to set different driver profiles.
As you can see, many of these requests are for features that already come standard on most luxury cars, if not most vehicles sold today. Many of these changes would require hardware updates that would only be possible with a retrofit or on new Teslas fresh from the factory, so they’re likely not going to help those who requested the changes if they’re ever implemented, but it would still be progress. But some of the requests could be fulfilled with Tesla’s OTA update capability, and Tesla does frequently update its models with new and improved features, so we’ll see if any of these improvements make their way anytime soon. Until then, just remember to turn the lights on when it rains, and to turn your head to check your blind spot.
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