There are plenty of reasons to be concerned with the safety of Tesla. Let’s be honest; the amount of power and rapid acceleration of Tesla vehicles can be concerning in the wrong hands. Thankfully, Tesla’s safety systems are top tier. Things like obstacle avoidance, emergency braking, and traction control keep reckless drivers at bay to some extent. Though, plenty of Teslas still get crashed. That begs the question: what might it be like if you could turn all of a Tesla’s safety features off at once? You used to be able to! However, Tesla put a stop to it quite quickly.
Tesla dyno mode disabled all the safety features at once
Tesla Model 3 | Tesla
According to InsideEVs, Tesla’s dyno mode was a one-stop shop for folks who wanted to get a little wild with their Teslas. Its intended purpose was to put the car on a dynamometer, a device that measures a car’s horsepower output. To do so, dyno mode disabled the vehicle’s traction control, stability control, and automatic emergency braking. It wasn’t widely known until an EPA leak made accessing it public.
This was great news for Tesla Model 3 owners who didn’t buy a Performance trim car. Performance models have Track Mode, which allows you to disable these systems for use on a race track. However, lower-trim Tesla Model 3s do not come with this driving mode. So, using dyno mode was effectively a free opportunity for users to have a bit of the track mode experience. This, however, presented Tesla with a problem.
Watch Tesla Model 3 SR+ Shredding Tires On Race Track In “Dyno Mode” (Videos) https://t.co/YyF0nn5rH4 pic.twitter.com/E5HuTGuGYw
— CleanTechnica (@cleantechnica) February 26, 2020
The instant torque of an electric motor, while intoxicating and fun, can spell disaster without traction control or stability control in the hands of an inexperienced driver. This is especially true in the case of rear-wheel drive Model 3s. We’ve all seen what happens when Mustangs turn traction control off and try to leave a car show with a bit of flair. Having that happen with RWD Model 3s at every red light would be a disaster.
So, in an over-the-air firmware update, the EV giant nuked dyno mode. After the upgrade, its vehicles display in large red letters that you are in dyno mode. However, instead of unleashing all the party features, it now makes the car less peppy than in chill mode.
Fortunately, there are still ways Model 3 owners can have a bit of fun
2022 Tesla Model 3 | Tesla
There’s a time and place for everything. However, it seems reasonable enough that folks to take the proper precautions to be in the right place at the right time should have nothing restricting them from doing what they want with their car. Tesla seems to disagree, and from a liability standpoint, it makes sense. However, some other companies are on the side of fun, spirited driving.
Companies like Mountain Pass Performance and a handful of others make components and hacks for Teslas that unlock their full potential for high-performance driving. One such device is a simple plug-and-play interrupter that goes in the stock Tesla wiring harness. It disables the stability control and allows you to push its limits.
Of course, these items are sold with the stipulation that you understand what you’re signing up for. If you crash, that’s on you. Furthermore, if Tesla finds out you have a device like this, don’t be surprised if there are repercussions. Tesla has been known for questionable calls when it comes to its vehicles.
Keep scrolling down to see a stability control deactivator in action with a Tesla Model 3 sliding across a frozen tundra!
Keyword: Tesla Driving Mode Was so Dangerous That Tesla Disabled It