Traction Control

What It Is

The traction control system constantly monitors the speed of the front and rear wheels. If Model Y experiences a loss of traction, the system minimizes wheel spin by controlling brake pressure and motor power. By default, the traction control system is on. Under normal conditions, it should remain on to ensure maximum safety.

Amber icon of rear view of vehicle with squiggly tire marks

This yellow indicator flashes on the touchscreen whenever the traction control system is actively controlling brake pressure and motor power to minimize wheel spin. If the indicator stays on, a fault is detected with the traction control system. Contact Tesla Service.

Warning

Traction control cannot prevent collisions caused by driving dangerously or turning too sharply at high speeds.

How It Works

Touch Controls > Dynamics to access traction control settings.

Slip Start is designed to make it easier to dislodge Model Y when stuck in mud, snow, ice, etc. Turning on Slip Start allows the wheels to spin, making it possible to rock Model Y out of a situation in which the wheels are stuck.
Off-Road Assist (All-Wheel Drive vehicles only) is designed to provide overall improvements when driving off-road. In addition to allowing the wheels to spin, Off-Road Assist balances the torque between the front and rear motors to optimize traction. Off-Road Assist improves traction on rough and soft surfaces where one side of the vehicle may lose traction while the other side still has traction. When Off-Road Assist is on, the accelerator pedal provides more gradual torque, which is useful for crawling at low speeds (for example, over rocky surfaces). When enabled, Off-Road displays on the touchscreen above the driving speed.
Note
Off-Road Assist cannot be used if Speed Limit Mode is already enabled.

After the circumstances that required you to turn on Slip Start or Off-Road Assist have passed, it is strongly recommended that you turn the setting off to re-enable traction control. If you leave these settings on, traction control automatically re-enables on your next drive.

Amber icon of rear view of vehicle with squiggly tire marks and the word OFF

When you turn on Slip Start or Off-Road Assist, the touchscreen displays an indicator light to indicate that the traction control system is no longer preventing wheel slip.

Note

Although you can use Slip Start or Off-Road Assist at any speed, it is less effective at higher speeds.

Note

Slip Start or Off-Road Assist are not available when you are actively using Autopilot.

Note

Engaging cruise control when Slip Start or Off-Road Assist is on causes the feature to turn off and traction control to be re-enabled.

Note

Automatic Emergency Braking and Lane Departure Avoidance do not operate when Off-Road Assist is turned on.