Traction Control - Tesla MODEL Y 2012 Owner's Manual

Traction Control

How It Works
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.
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.
Disabling Traction Control
Under normal conditions, the traction control system
should remain on. Turn it off only in circumstances
where you deliberately want the wheels to spin, such as:
• Starting on a loose surface, such as gravel or snow.
• Driving in deep snow, sand or mud.
• Rocking out of a hole or deep rut.
• Driving off-road.
On Rear-Wheel Drive vehicles, turn off traction control
and allow the wheels to spin by touching Controls >
Pedals & Steering > Slip Start.
On All-Wheel Drive vehicles, you can choose one of
these options, depending on the circumstances:
• 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 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.
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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.
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 and Off-Road
Assist at any speed, it is less effective at higher speeds.
NOTE: Slip Start and 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.
MODEL Y Owner's Manual