Tesla made the controversial decision in 2021 to stop equipping its vehicles with radar sensors and instead adopted "Tesla Vision," a camera-based system that provides a view of the surroundings. Now, Tesla has taken a step further by issuing a service bulletin that disconnects radar sensors from cars already equipped with them, without removing the sensors. The disabling of radar sensors is currently limited to 2021-2022 Model S cars running software 2022.20.9 or later.
Tesla justifies this move by stating that the radar sensors have become redundant since the introduction of Tesla Vision. The company claims that the camera-based technology has surpassed the functionality of the radar sensors. In addition, concerns have been raised about power consumption by the radar sensors and potential water ingress issues.
Tesla technicians are disconnecting the radar sensors and installing caps at the ends of the connectors, effectively rendering the sensors unusable.
This recent decision by Tesla to disable radar sensors in older Model S vehicles has sparked debate and raised questions about the company's strategy. Although Tesla has reintroduced radar in its latest models, including the upgraded Hardware 4.0 unit in the new Model S and Model X, the functionality of the radar has not been activated pending a future software update.
Tesla's transition away from radar technology has not been without its challenges. The removal of radar from new vehicles earlier this year caused limitations in autopilot functionality and led to an increase in complaints filed with regulators. Issues such as "phantom braking" and failure to detect emergency vehicles were reported.
As Tesla continues to prioritize camera-based technology, it remains to be seen how the disabling of radar sensors in older vehicles will impact their overall functionality and safety features. Tesla owners affected by this decision will have to rely solely on Tesla Vision until the anticipated software update activates the radar functionality in the latest models.
Source: Reddit