Heavy load: is Tesla using software to force customers to buy its parts?
Emails from Tesla appear to show the company is coupling safety software to use of its branded tow hitch, forcing owners to forego less expensive aftermarket parts.
Something seriously funky is going on with Tesla and tow hitches.
As reported by James Gilboy over at The Drive, Tesla Model X and Model Y owners have been raising alarms online that the company is refusing to enable a critical, safety-oriented software feature dubbed “Trailer Mode” unless the owners buy and install Tesla’s tow package, a pricey $1,300 OEM option that is out of stock in countries like the UK. Failure to enable “Trailer Mode,” the company contends, will put the driver at risk of physical injury and may void the warranty on the car, leaving some Tesla owners in a bind.
Tower beware
UK resident Scott Helme (@Scott_Helme) wrote on Twitter last week about his experience after buying a Tesla Model Y - a car he purchased in part because of the prodigious towing capacity of the U.S. automaker’s electric vehicles. After purchasing the car, Helme purchased an aftermarket tow bar and had it fitted on his Model Y by a reputable service provider for £695. Once installed, Helme said the hitch worked fine with his Model Y.
However, when he went to enable the required “Trailer Mode” software on his vehicle, as instructed by Tesla, he was unable to locate the button to enable the feature on Tesla’s in-car system.
“I expected that I could just buy the car, get the tow bar fitted and be able to tow stuff,” Helme told Fight to Repair.
