Tesla has made a handful of small changes to its owner’s manuals with the recent holiday update, including a shift to how Autopark works, cabin radar monitoring, and an expansion of certain construction details, among other edits still.
On Monday, Not a Tesla App spotted and reported a handful of the changes seen in Tesla’s owner’s manuals that were not reported in the company’s holiday update release notes. Some of these include subtle feature changes or hints as to what other features may be coming, while many of them simply have different wording than was previously in the manual.
Typically, Tesla will make changes to the owner’s manuals when it debuts new software updates, and although the recent holiday update has offered owners a number of new features, some of those that weren’t reported by the company may be equally important.
You can check out the unlisted updates to the owner’s manual below, complete with new rules for Autopark, the removal of a previously-retired regen braking mode, expansions to certain navigation construction information, and more.
Note: the links navigate to various sections of Tesla’s Model Y owner’s manual, though these updates can be seen across the company’s lineup.
Tesla’s recent changes to the owner’s manual, both big and small
Cabin Radar now used for occupancy, rather than seat sensors
Tesla’s Cabin Radar, located just above the rearview mirror in the latest of the company’s vehicles, is now being used to detect cabin occupancy instead of the individual seat sensors, as was changed earlier this year. Over the summer, Tesla switched from using the seat sensors to using the cabin radar to monitor occupancy, as part of a response to a recall mandating closer passenger and driver monitoring.
The section now also includes a warning that blocking or obstructing the device will disengage Autopilot or Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD). You can see the entry for cabin radar in Tesla’s owner’s manual here.
Camp Mode: text added to indicate that ports still work
While Tesla has already changed its vehicles so that the USB and 12V ports still work when Camp Mode is engaged, the company has also now updated the owner’s manual text to indicate this. You can see the company’s new details on Camp Mode here, under its section on Operating Climate Controls.
Construction and Accident Alerts to expand
Tesla has been adding additional icons to the map for road closures, accidents, and construction, and while the text in this section previously said they were limited to the U.S., this section has now been removed—suggesting that Tesla could be looking beyond North America with these in the near future.
Not a Tesla App also points out that, in all likelihood, Tesla will just need to wait for more data providers to partner with the company to add this information in other markets than the U.S. and Canada. You can check out this part of the owner’s manual here, in the Maps and Navigation section under the Online Routing section.
Desiccant Bags details removed
Tesla has removed details on its desiccant bag in the heat pump’s A/C section, which previously required a replacement every four years. This could suggest that this service may not be necessary after all, as the hardware likely lasts far more than four years in most cases. You can see the Maintenance Service Intervals section that previously had the instructions here.
Front Camera Window Cleaning
Tesla now points out that owners should clean the inside of the windshield within the front camera housing every so often. This was not previously a required maintenance option, and Tesla now says owners should schedule a service appointment to have the cleaning done when necessary.
There’s also a DIY option for this cleaning, and details for this can be found in the service manual under “Quad Camera Cover – Upper (remove and replace).” You can find the new text for cleaning inside the windshield here in the Maintenance Service Intervals section, listed under Periodic Checks.
Parental Controls now auto-set to these features
Tesla has made the default speed limit setting “Relative” with an offset of plus 5 mph. Additionally, when drivers select “Require Safety Features” in the parental controls, the system now automatically enables the following options, without the ability to change or remove them:
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Obstacle-Aware Acceleration
- Automatic Blind Spot Camera
- Blind Spot Collision Warning Chime
- Automatic 911 Call
- Allow Mobile Access
- Park Assist Chimes
- Lane Departure Avoidance: Set to Assist.
- Speed Limit Warning: Set to Chime.
- Speed Limit: Set to Relative.
- Offset: Set to +5 mph (8 km/h).
- Forward Collision Warning: Set to Early.
You can find the Safety and Security Settings here, with the above options now located under Parental Controls.
Regenerative Braking options ‘January 2024’ wording removed
While Tesla removed the low regenerative braking setting for new vehicles in January, opting for the higher-efficiency option as default, the company’s owner’s manual has removed a section saying that the low options wouldn’t be available after January 2024. This suggests that Tesla could someday re-introduce multiple regen options in the future in some way, shape, or form.
Tesla’s regenerative braking instructions can be found here, as part of the Braking and Stopping section.
Steering Wheel Weight
Tesla has changed the name of the steering wheel weight option from “Medium” to “Standard,” which you can see here under the Steering Wheel Weight section.
Strikes No Longer Count Against Autopark
Vehicles that include a cabin camera can get as many as five strikes before banning Autopilot features, while those without one can get up to three strikes. However, Tesla has apparently removed the Autopark system from these strike-out rules, meaning that striking out won’t disqualify drivers from the automated park system. You can see Tesla’s Autopark section here.
Valet Mode Privacy Improvements
Tesla has improved the privacy features of its Valet Mode, now preventing access to a handful of features while it is engaged, such as showing text messages even if the owner is still connected to Bluetooth. The vehicle will now also remove home and work address access in this mode, and it will restrict access to driver profiles and a number of other features that could potentially compromise someone’s privacy.
You can check out the Tesla owner’s manual’s section on Valet Mode here, under the larger Driver Profiles section.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
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Starlink goes mainstream with first-ever SpaceX Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
SpaceX aired its first-ever Super Bowl commercial on Sunday, marking a rare move into mass-market advertising as it seeks to broaden adoption of its Starlink satellite internet service.
Starlink Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
The advertisement highlighted Starlink’s global coverage and emphasized simplified customer onboarding, stating that users can sign up for service in minutes through the company’s website or by phone in the United States.
The campaign comes as SpaceX accelerates Starlink’s commercial expansion. The satellite internet service grew its global user base in 2025 to over 9 million subscribers and entered several dozen additional markets, as per company statements.
Starlink growth and momentum
Starlink has seen notable success in numerous regions across the globe. Brazil, in particular, has become one of Starlink’s largest growth regions, recently surpassing one million users, as per Ookla data. The company has also expanded beyond residential broadband into aviation connectivity and its emerging direct-to-cellular service.
Starlink has recently offered aggressive promotions in select regions, including discounted or free hardware, waived installation fees, and reduced monthly pricing. Some regions even include free Starlink Mini for select subscribers. In parallel, SpaceX has introduced AI-driven tools to streamline customer sign-ups and service selection.
The Super Bowl appearance hints at a notable shift for Starlink, which previously relied largely on organic growth and enterprise contracts. The ad suggests SpaceX is positioning Starlink as a mainstream alternative to traditional broadband providers.
Tesla engineers deflected calls from Apple on a daily basis while the tech giant was developing its now-defunct electric vehicle program, which was known as “Project Titan.”
Back in 2022 and 2023, Apple was developing an EV in a top-secret internal fashion, hoping to launch it by 2028 with a fully autonomous driving suite.
However, Apple bailed on the project in early 2024, as Project Titan abandoned the project in an email to over 2,000 employees. The company had backtracked its expectations for the vehicle on several occasions, initially hoping to launch it with no human driving controls and only with an autonomous driving suite.
Apple canceling its EV has drawn a wide array of reactions across tech
It then planned for a 2028 launch with “limited autonomous driving.” But it seemed to be a bit of a concession at that point; Apple was not prepared to take on industry giants like Tesla.
Wedbush’s Dan Ives noted in a communication to investors that, “The writing was on the wall for Apple with a much different EV landscape forming that would have made this an uphill battle. Most of these Project Titan engineers are now all focused on AI at Apple, which is the right move.”
Apple did all it could to develop a competitive EV that would attract car buyers, including attempting to poach top talent from Tesla.
In a new podcast interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it was revealed that Apple had been calling Tesla engineers nonstop during its development of the now-defunct project. Musk said the engineers “just unplugged their phones.”
Musk said in full:
“They were carpet bombing Tesla with recruiting calls. Engineers just unplugged their phones. Their opening offer without any interview would be double the compensation at Tesla.”
Interestingly, Apple had acquired some ex-Tesla employees for its project, like Senior Director of Engineering Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, who eventually left for Archer Aviation.
Tesla took no legal action against Apple for attempting to poach its employees, as it has with other companies. It came after EV rival Rivian in mid-2020, after stating an “alarming pattern” of poaching employees was noticed.
There are a lot of Tesla bulls out there who have astronomical expectations for the company, especially as its arm of reach has gone well past automotive and energy and entered artificial intelligence and robotics.
However, some of the most bullish Tesla investors believe the company could become worth $100 trillion, and CEO Elon Musk does not believe that number is completely out of the question, even if it sounds almost ridiculous.
To put that number into perspective, the top ten most valuable companies in the world — NVIDIA, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, TSMC, Meta, Saudi Aramco, Broadcom, and Tesla — are worth roughly $26 trillion.
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Cathie Wood of ARK Invest believes the number is reasonable considering Tesla’s long-reaching industry ambitions:
“…in the world of AI, what do you have to have to win? You have to have proprietary data, and think about all the proprietary data he has, different kinds of proprietary data. Tesla, the language of the road; Neuralink, multiomics data; nobody else has that data. X, nobody else has that data either. I could see $100 trillion. I think it’s going to happen because of convergence. I think Tesla is the leading candidate [for $100 trillion] for the reason I just said.”
Musk said late last year that all of his companies seem to be “heading toward convergence,” and it’s started to come to fruition. Tesla invested in xAI, as revealed in its Q4 Earnings Shareholder Deck, and SpaceX recently acquired xAI, marking the first step in the potential for a massive umbrella of companies under Musk’s watch.
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Now that it is happening, it seems Musk is even more enthusiastic about a massive valuation that would swell to nearly four-times the value of the top ten most valuable companies in the world currently, as he said on X, the idea of a $100 trillion valuation is “not impossible.”
It’s not impossible
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2026
Tesla is not just a car company. With its many projects, including the launch of Robotaxi, the progress of the Optimus robot, and its AI ambitions, it has the potential to continue gaining value at an accelerating rate.
Musk’s comments show his confidence in Tesla’s numerous projects, especially as some begin to mature and some head toward their initial stages.
Starlink goes mainstream with first-ever SpaceX Super Bowl advertisement
Tesla engineers deflected calls from this tech giant’s now-defunct EV project
