Autosteer

Note: Autosteer is a BETA feature.

Autosteer builds upon Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (see Traffic-Aware Cruise Control), intelligently keeping Model 3Model Y in its driving lane when cruising at a set speed. Autosteer also allows you to use the turn signals to move Model 3Model Y into an adjacent lane (see Auto Lane Change). Autosteer detects lane markings and the presence of vehicles and objects to steer Model 3Model Y.

Note: To display more details about the roadway and its surroundings, such as road markings, stop lights, objects (such as trash cans and poles), etc., touch Controls > Autopilot > Full Self-Driving Visualization Preview (if equipped).

CAUTION: Ensure all cameras and sensors are clean. Dirty cameras and sensors, as well as environmental conditions such as rain and faded lane markings, affect performance.

Warning: Autosteer is a hands-on feature. You must keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times.

Warning: Autosteer is intended for use on highways and limited-access roads with a fully attentive driver. When using Autosteer, hold the steering wheel and be mindful of road conditions and surrounding traffic. Do not use Autosteer on city streets, in construction zones, or in areas where bicyclists or pedestrians may be present. Never depend on Autosteer to determine an appropriate driving path. Always be prepared to take immediate action. Failure to follow these instructions could cause damage, serious injury or death.

Operating Autosteer

Before you can operate Autosteer, you must enable it by touching Controls > Autopilot > Autosteer (Beta).

To indicate that Autosteer is available (but not actively steering Model 3Model Y), the touchscreen displays a gray Autosteer icon .

To initiate Autosteer, move the drive stalk fully down twice in quick succession.

Image of the drive stalk with two arrows going down.

Autosteer briefly displays a message on the touchscreen reminding you to pay attention to the road and be ready to take over at any time. To indicate that Autosteer is now actively steering Model 3Model Y, the touchscreen displays the Autosteer icon in blue. When Autosteer is able to detect lane markings, it also displays the driving lane in blue.

Screenshot with an arrow pointing to the blue steering wheel icon.

To initiate Autosteer when no vehicle is detected ahead of you, you must be driving at least 18 mph (30 km/h), unless certain vehicle and environmental conditions are met, in which case, you may be able to initiate it at lower speeds. If a vehicle is detected ahead of you, you can initiate Autosteer at any speed, even when stationary, provided Model 3Model Y is at least 5 feet (150 cm) behind the detected vehicle.

Note: The maximum cruising speed is 90 mph (150 km/h). It is the driver's responsibility to cruise at a safe speed based on road conditions and speed limits.

Note: For vehicles manufactured after approximately April 27, 2021, the maximum cruising speed when using Autosteer may be limited to a lower speed.

CAUTION: If Model 3Model Y detects lights from an emergency vehicle when using Autosteer at night on a high speed road, the driving speed is automatically reduced and the touchscreen displays a message informing you of the slowdown. You will also hear a chime and see a reminder to keep your hands on the steering wheel. When the light detections pass by or cease to appear, Autopilot resumes your cruising speed. Alternatively, you may tap the accelerator to resume your cruising speed.

Warning: Never depend on Autopilot features to determine the presence of emergency vehicles. Model 3Model Y may not detect lights from emergency vehicles in all situations. Keep your eyes on your driving path and always be prepared to take immediate action.

The touchscreen displays a message indicating that Autosteer is temporarily unavailable if you attempted to engage Autosteer when driving at a speed that is not within the speed required for Autosteer to operate. Autosteer may also be unavailable if it is not receiving adequate data from the camera(s) or sensors.

If Autosteer is unable to detect lane markings, the driving lane is determined based on the vehicle you are following.

In most cases, Autosteer attempts to center Model 3Model Y in the driving lane. However, if an obstacle (such as a vehicle or guard rail) is detected, Autosteer may steer Model 3Model Y in a driving path that is offset from the center of the lane.

Warning: Autosteer is not designed to, and will not, steer Model 3Model Y around objects partially or completely in the driving lane. Always watch the road in front of you and stay prepared to take immediate action. It is the driver's responsibility to be in control of Model 3Model Y at all times.

Restricted Speed

Autosteer is intended for use only by a fully attentive driver on freeways and highways where access is limited by entry and exit ramps. If you choose to use Autosteer on residential roads, a road without a center divider, or a road where access is not limited, Autosteer may limit the maximum allowed cruising speed and the touchscreen displays a message indicating that speed is restricted. The restricted speed will be the speed limit of the road plus 5 mph (10 km/h).

In situations where the speed limit cannot be detected when Autosteer is engaged, Autosteer reduces your driving speed and limits the set cruising speed to 45 mph (70 km/h). Although you can manually accelerate to exceed the limited speed, Model 3Model Y may not brake for detected obstacles. Autosteer slows down to the limited speed when you release the accelerator pedal. When you leave the road, or disengage Autosteer by using the steering wheel, you can increase your set speed again, if desired.

Hold Steering Wheel

Autosteer determines how best to steer Model 3Model Y. When active, Autosteer requires you to hold the steering wheel. If it does not detect your hands on the steering wheel for a period of time, a flashing blue light appears at the top of the car status section of the touchscreen and the following message displays:

Screenshot of the message: "Apply slight turning force to steering wheel".

Autosteer detects your hands by recognizing slight resistance as the steering wheel turns, or from you manually turning the steering wheel very lightly (without enough force to take over steering). Autosteer also qualifies your hands as being detected if you engage a turn signal or use a button or scroll wheel on the steering wheel.

Note: When your hands are detected, the message disappears and Autosteer resumes normal operation.

Note: Autosteer may also sound a chime at the same time that the message is initially displayed.

Autosteer requires that you pay attention to your surroundings and remain prepared to take control at any time. If Autosteer still does not detect your hands on the steering wheel, the request escalates by sounding chimes that increase in frequency.

If you repeatedly ignore Autosteer's prompts for having your hands on the steering wheel, Autosteer disables for the rest of the drive and displays the following message. If you don't resume manual steering, Autosteer sounds a continuous chime, turns on the warning flashers, and slows the vehicle to a complete stop.

Screenshot of the message: "Autosteer unavailable for the rest of this drive - Hold steering wheel to drive manually".

For the rest of the drive, you must steer manually. Autosteer is available again on your next drive (after you stop and shift Model 3Model Y into Park).

Take Over Immediately

In situations where Autosteer is unable to steer Model 3Model Y, Autosteer sounds a warning chime and displays the following message on the touchscreen:

When you see this message, TAKE OVER STEERING IMMEDIATELY.

Canceling Autosteer

Autosteer cancels when:

You start steering manually.
You press the brake pedal.
The maximum speed that Autosteer supports–90 mph (150 km/h)–is exceeded.
You move the drive stalk upwards.
A door is opened.
An Automatic Emergency Braking event occurs (see Collision Avoidance Assist).

When Autosteer cancels, it sounds a chime and the Autosteer icon either turns gray to indicate that Autosteer is no longer active, or disappears to indicate that it is not currently available.

Note: If Autosteer cancels because you started steering manually, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control remains active. Disengage Traffic-Aware Cruise Control as you normally would, by pressing the brake pedal moving the drive stalk upward.

Note: If you move the drive stalk upward and hold it up for more than one second, Model 3Model Y shifts into Neutral after canceling Autosteer.

To disable Autosteer so it is no longer available, touch Controls > Autopilot > Autosteer (Beta).

Auto Lane Change

When Autosteer is active, you can use the turn signals to move Model 3Model Y into an adjacent lane without moving the steering wheel (which would cancel Autosteer).

Warning: It is the driver's responsibility to determine whether a lane change is safe and appropriate. Therefore, before initiating a lane change, always check blind spots, lane markings, and the surrounding roadway to confirm it is safe and appropriate to move into the target lane.

Warning: Never depend on Auto Lane Change to determine an appropriate driving path. Drive attentively by watching the road and traffic ahead of you, checking the surrounding area, and monitoring the touchscreen for warnings. Always be prepared to take immediate action.

Warning: Do not use Auto Lane Change on city streets or on roads where traffic conditions are constantly changing and where bicycles and pedestrians are present.

Warning: The performance of Auto Lane Change depends on the ability of the camera(s) to recognize lane markings.

Warning: Do not use Auto Lane Change on winding roads with sharp curves, on icy or slippery roads, or when weather conditions (such as heavy rain, snow, fog, etc.) may be obstructing the view from the camera(s) or sensors.

Warning: Failure to follow all warnings and instructions can result in property damage, serious injury or death.

Operating Auto Lane Change

Auto Lane Change is available whenever Autosteer is active. To change lanes using Auto Lane Change:

Perform visual checks to make sure it is safe and appropriate to move into the target lane
Engage the appropriate turn signal.

Note: The minimum drive speed for Auto Lane Change may change based on region, adjacent lane speeds, and other factors. Always be ready to take over and change lanes as necessary.

Auto Lane Change moves Model 3Model Y into the adjacent lane in the direction indicated by the turn signal, provided the following conditions are met:

The continuous turn signal is engaged.
The Autopilot components do not detect a vehicle or obstacle up to the center of the target lane.
The lane markings indicate that a lane change is permitted.
The view of the camera(s) is not obstructed.
Your vehicle does not detect another vehicle in its blind spot.
Midway through the lane change, Auto Lane Change can detect the outside lane marking of the target lane.

As the lane change is in progress, Overtake Acceleration is activated, allowing Model 3Model Y to accelerate closer to a vehicle in front (see Overtake Acceleration). Midway through the lane change, Auto Lane Change must detect the target lane's outside lane marking. If this lane marking cannot be detected, the lane change is aborted and Model 3Model Y returns to its original driving lane.

Note: Auto Lane Change movesModel 3Model Y one lane at a time. Moving into an additional lane requires you to engage the turn signal a second time after the first lane change is complete.

When using Auto Lane Change, it is important to monitor its performance by watching the driving path in front of you and the surrounding area. Stay prepared to take over steering at any time. As you are crossing over into the adjacent lane, the touchscreen displays the location in the lane that Model 3Model Y is moving into.

In situations where Auto Lane Change is unable to operate at optimal performance, or cannot operate due to inadequate data, the touchscreen displays a series of warnings. Therefore, when using Auto Lane Change, always pay attention to the touchscreen and be prepared to manually steer Model 3Model Y.

Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning

While Autosteer is in use, Model 3Model Y displays a warning on the touchscreen and sounds a chime if it detects that you are likely to run through a red stop light or stop sign. If this happens, TAKE IMMEDIATE CORRECTIVE ACTION!

The visual and audible warnings cancel after a few seconds, or when you press the brake pedal, whichever comes first.

Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning provides warnings only. It makes no attempt to slow down or stop Model 3Model Y at red traffic lights, stop signs, road markings, etc. If your vehicle is equipped with Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control, you can enable this feature to automatically stop Model 3Model Y at traffic lights and stop signs (see Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control).

Note: Touch Controls > Autopilot > Full Self-Driving Visualization Preview (if equipped) to display more details about the roadway and its surroundings, such as road markings, stop lights, objects (such as trash cans and poles), etc.

CAUTION: Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning requires the vehicle's map to know that a particular stop light or stop sign exists at a location. In some cases, map data is inaccurate or outdated and may not include all stop lights or stop signs. Therefore, Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning may not detect all stop lights and stop signs.

Warning: The Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning feature does not apply the brakes or decelerate Model 3Model Y and may not detect all stop lights and stop signs. Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning is designed for guidance purposes only and is not a substitute for attentive driving and sound judgment. Keep your eyes on the road when driving and never depend on Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning to warn you of a stop light or stop sign.

Warning: Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning is designed to warn you only when approaching a visible red stop sign, solid red or later portion of a yellow traffic light; it may not warn you of intersections with flashing lights and it does not warn you of yield signs or temporary stop and yield signs (such as those used in construction areas). Additionally, Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning does not warn you of approaching stop lights or stop signs when you are pressing the accelerator pedal or brake pedal (which disables Autosteer).

Limitations

Autosteer and its associated functions are particularly unlikely to operate as intended when:

Autosteer is unable to accurately determine lane markings. For example, lane markings are excessively worn, have visible previous markings, have been adjusted due to road construction, are changing quickly (lanes branching off, crossing over, or merging), objects or landscape features are casting strong shadows on the lane markings, or the road surface contains pavement seams or other high-contrast lines.
Visibility is poor (heavy rain, snow, fog, etc.) or weather conditions are interfering with sensor operation.
A camera(s) or sensor(s) is obstructed, covered, or damaged.
Driving on hills.
Approaching a toll booth.
Driving on a road that has sharp curves or is excessively rough.
Bright light (such as direct sunlight) is interfering with the view of the camera(s).
The sensors are affected by other electrical equipment or devices that generate ultrasonic waves.
A vehicle is detected in your blind spot when you engage the turn signal.
Model 3Model Y is being driven very close to a vehicle in front of it, which is blocking the view of the camera(s).

Warning: Many unforeseen circumstances can impair the operation of Autosteer. Always keep this in mind and remember that as a result, Autosteer may not steer Model 3Model Y appropriately. Always drive attentively and be prepared to take immediate action.