Inside / Safety features need work - TESLA Engineers/Designers PLEASE READ

After our test drive we were impressed by how nice the outside of the car is and how well it drives; however, we were not impressed by the inside or the missing safety features:

* There is no blind spot sensor - For a car with such bad visibility, the lack of the blind spot sensor really left us scratching our heads. My mom's 2008 mazda has blind spots sensors but not the 4x more expensive 2012 model S? This is not a luxury item, it's a safety issue.

* No adjustable headrests - The seats are not very comfortable either

* No parking sensors

* Arm rest design is not functional and plastic? trim on the inside of the car looks cheap. There is no other word for it.

* No spare tire! What am I supposed to do if I get a flat tire? tow it? There is plenty of trunk space (2 trunks, in fact), why on earth would there not be a spare tire.


All these issues have been raised before - you can go to and search for the applicable threads if interested.

As for the spare in particular, note that many new cars do not come with spares nowadays, and if you want one there is nothing stopping you from buying it separately. [But the frunk is not quite big enough for a full-size spare, FYI.]

The blind spot factor may be somewhat mitigated by the rear camera, which you can view while driving and which I've read does give decent visibility of the blind spots. But I can't confirm this since I don't have my car yet.

I disagree about the appearance and comfort of the interior, but you're entitled to your opinion.

The last two cars I have owned had no spare (instead a glue fixit kit and compressor), so this is nothing new.

No car I have owned has had parking sensors, and I have been able to park the car just fine anyway. Yes, the Model S has poor rear visibility, but that is what the rear camera is for.

Likewise, no car I have owned has had a blind spot sensor, and somehow I manage to avoid collisions by looking before changing lanes. The mirrors on the Model S are larger than any other car I have had (see width complaints), so I don't expect it will be any harder to do the same.

I have never once adjusted headrests in any other car, but maybe the default setup fits me and it doesn't fit you.

jairoabq, you may want to check out, and contribute to, these threads:

"Must-Have" Wish List

"An Aftermarket Approach to TM's Opportunity Console"

"Tires - spare? - run flat?"

"No spare, no run flat, no running on 3 wheels. Just a can of goo!"

"Parking sensors"

"Missing features?"

Tesla sells a sealant/inflation kit. Runs of car power.

Blind spot sensors, in my opinion, are no substitute for 'neck on a swivel.' If you just change lanes because the BLIS is not blinking you are a road hazard.

Also the aft camera, unlike every other car, is high-def and can be on when the car is moving forward. I find that it has very nice visibility into the blind spot.

Personally I really liked the seats and the interior.

Never had parking or blind spot sensors in any car I ever owned, I do not need them. If Tesla wants to offer them in high trims fine, I do not care, but do not jack up the base price to make them standard. Humans come standard with flexible 'necks' amazing how this nifty feature promotes safe parallel parking, U turns etc. Field tested for millions of years this feature has helped humans escape predators and find prey... in the last hundred years attentive drivers have used 'necks' to park and navigate in traffic. Try using your 'neck' today - it is not just for escaping sabre-toothed tigers anymore!

All the interiors of Model S that I sat in do not bother me really, sure I would like a nice cargo box in between the driver and passenger seats and cupholders... Hmm some knobs and buttons to use after all that coffee and soda you spilled on the touchscreen makes it not work anymore (or after the frustrated thief who broke in to your Model S breaks it whilst trying to steal it). Cheap? not really, sort of normal really though... How about some shag carpet and a lava lamp and disco ball in the back so I can entertain ladies in style when they visit the backseat...

In all seriousness it does need a spare though, lets get real... put it in an under-compartment in the frunk to store it, plenty of space for it... Unless you live in some manicured sterile suburb and commute to a well kept office complex then you are going to hit potholes and nails and road debris and it will cause flats and blowouts... On freeways sharp stuff falls off trucks and punctures your tyres (and cracks your windshield) you have to deal with those conditions in the real world.

bring on then (front) parking sensors!

I will start a 'Save the nose cone' campaign

Not many high-performance cars have all the things mentioned above. Worse, most high-performance cars are not very comfortable compared to the MS (very stiff suspension, hard-shocks, etc).

Parking sensors would be nice to have in the future, however, my last very high-tec Infiniti didn't have a rear HD cam (like the MS), and the standard backup cam screen was so small, it was more of a destruction. With the MS's HD cam and massive monitor screen (which you can turn on anytime, not just in reverse), is the best backup camera industry-wide.

Either-way, future generation Tesla cars will get better over time, and with the ability to constantly upgrade the car's systems via software upgrades, the current version very well could surpass the safety tec of the best luxury cars on the planet in.

This isn't the tread for this but since it's the trending one at the moment, I have to mention that having had my Model S for a few weeks now (of course I love it), I have only two issues with missing blind spot sensors. The car does have poor visibility at times on the drivers side but as others have mentioned the HD rear camera is awesome for seeing car's in the blind spot. EXCEPT when it's raining and visibility is even worse and the backup camera is useless because of the large drops that make seeing the cars behind and to the sides of you, impossible. It's just too fuzzy when there is rain on it.

Again, duct tape to the rescue! Stick a bill from a baseball cap above the lens.


I surely don't know the hardware limitations that are present, but conceptually blind spot detection is pretty straightforward I believe (as are rear parking guidelines). Once the track width of the vehicle is calibrated with the rear camera's field-of-view and perspective, software would be used to monitor the motion of pixels outside these guidelines. Any group of pixels that move at a different rate than the background are tracked as vehicles. Of those, a moving block of pixels outside the track width guidelines that are advancing on the car are interpreted as passing vehicles, and their relative speed and size can be determined. Knowing the approaching vehicle's size and speed, it's easy to determine when it enters and exits the zone where it cannot be seen in your car's mirrors. Of course I have no clue how this is actually done!

I would assume TM would place the rear view camera in a place shielded from rain and even funnel a small amount of bypass air over the lens to keep it clean from water droplets, as I don't notice a problem in the rain with my past and current cars.

Not to poopoo on anyone's parade but I'm fine with no parking sensors, blind spot sensors, nor adjustable headrests...all of which would add to the price of the car. With that said, I would have liked a spare tire and more usable center console.

I love the seats--I find them very comfortable and easy to adjust. They are the coolest looking seats in any car I've been in and there is no need to adjust the headrest as it's already right there. I especially love the spartan interior; it's elegant and understated. It's really a Model S signature feature. The backup camera does work well for the blind spots, but BYT is right that here in rainy Seattle it's not always useful. Sorry Brian H, no duct tape going on my car--at least not yet!

Lack of blind spot sensors? look twice.
Uncomfortable seats? sorry, can't fit every body build.
No parking sensors? feel the length of the car, become one with the car.
Arm rest? last time I checked it was under my arm when I intended my arm to be on it.
No spare tire? I get more miles EVERYDAY, a flat, every other year. I like that deal.
If you do not like a car? you are not obligated to buy it :)

I think the seats are very comfortable. Stiff back with minimal adjustments. Actually more comfortable than my 10 BMW M5 with its 12-way adjustments. Those complaining about the seats just don't understand performance cars. Try my CF Carrera GT seats in my Porsche GT3 RS - the only adjustment is forward and back.

Performance cars need performance designed seats - yes they will be alittle stiffer and you will sit more upright (the way you should). Reclined in a seat, driving a car is unsafe and you can't react well with the wheel so far away from you.

My opinion, others will have theirs. Seems like a lot of Tesla S performance customers come from the non sport car group. So their comparisons are not on the same plane.

My $.02 anyway


I agree! As much as everyone wants the MS to be everything for everyone (and it already is for most), it's not going to please everyone perfectly. Just as the Tesla: Roadster wasn't my cup of tea, I am sure the Tesla: Model X, Y, Z... will be just what the doctor ordered for many others.

Either way, the greatest thing about Tesla Motors is... all the 'other stuff' is easy! Too bad Porsche, M Benz, Toyota, Nissan, GM, Ford, and Mazda, BMW, etc can't even come close to saying that anymore.

With 600 miles on my S, I have to say, I'm not missing the sensors. I can see everything - and if in doubt, I put the air suspension on "very high" and climb right over the dips, curb stops, and debris. The car feels and drives like a much smaller vehicle - but the cargo capacity is seemingly endless. There's a modernist lightness about this car. Much like the original Miata.

But if you really long for a giant beeping Mazda, buy a giant beeping Mazda.

This car is for folks like me who like to drive - and actually pay attention to the road. Much like the original 1990 Mazda Miata. Just bigger.

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