Tesla to Add New ‘Hurry’ Mode to FSD Driving Profiles (2024)

In a post on X, Elon Musk recently announced that FSD drive modes would be getting a slight rename – Assertive mode will become Hurry mode.

Current Modes

Tesla introduced different FSD driving modes in 2021 so that drivers could pick a driving style that better matched their preference. Before driving profiles, Tesla let drivers pick the distance the vehicle would between the vehicle in front of them.

Currently, drivers with FSD have theee mode options available to them in Autopilot settings screen – chill, standard, and assertive. These three options dictate how far back the vehicle will sit in traffic, as well as how relaxed or aggressively it will maneuver through traffic.

Currently, there isn’t much of a difference between each of these modes besides how much space FSD is willing to leave between vehicles.

New Mode

The new mode naming scheme will be chill, standard, and hurry. We’re not quite sure what the difference between hurry and assertive will be, or if there will be any difference at all. It could be Tesla simply trying to avoid any issues with some NHTSA, or they could have some changes planned for the new hurry mode.

Hurry mode could attempt to stick closer to the speed limit, and change lanes more often to reach the destination sooner, while standard is similar to the current experience, and chill remains a bit more relaxed.

Release Date

At this point, given the sudden announcement of Hurry mode and the renaming – we’re not quite sure when this will be coming to vehicles.

FSD V12.4 was slated for release in mid to late May, but has apparently been delayed, perhaps due to the issues with the Spring Update. As such, if there are changes, we can probably expect the renaming and whatever unique features Hurry mode has – if any – will arrive with FSD V12.5 sometime in the future.

Tesla will be issuing an OTA recall for the seatbelt warning system later this month, according to paperwork that was published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this Friday.

Impacts

This recall is estimated to impact 125,000 vehicles across Tesla’s entire model range, including the Model S, X, 3, and Y. At this time, there is no indication of this recall reaching the Cybertruck.

Relying on the Cabin Camera

The recall addresses the driver occupancy sensor – a known problem since at least 2020 on some vehicles. This recall indicates that it may impact more vehicles than just those where people have noticed an issue.

The sensor completes the circuit and provides a signal when the driver is seated – but with some vehicles, even when the sensor is depressed by the weight of the driver, no visual or audio reminders will be given when the driver’s seatbelt isn’t fastened.

Tesla hacker, Greentheonly recently discovered that Tesla is going to stop relying on the occupancy sensors in its seats, which appears related to this OTA recall.

By relying on the cabin camera, Tesla will not only be able to resolve the occupancy sensor issue, but also reduce costs across their vehicles. Tesla currently use an occupancy sensor for each seat position.

Instead Tesla is expected to use the internal camera to detect occupancy of the seats, similar to their vision-based belt tensioners. Tesla already uses the cabin camera for various tasks, such as detecting whether there are any occupants in the vehicle and for driver monitoring. In FSD 12.4, Tesla is expected to rely more heavily on its driver monitoring system in order to remove the steering wheel nag in most situations.

Advantages of Using the Cabin Camera

Leveraging the cabin camera instead of weight occupancy sensors may actually become an improvement over the sensors that can be triggered accidentally.

If a heavy object or children’s seat is placed on a seat, it can cause the seat belt warning to be triggered incorrectly.

Software Update

This will be an OTA update, which means that as usual, Tesla vehicles will not have to come into service centers. Tesla is changing how the seat belt warning reminder will function – rather than relying on the sensor, it is expected to rely on the cabin camera to trigger the visual and audio warnings if the vehicle is put into drive or reverse and the driver seatbelt isn’t fastened.

There is currently no indication whether this update will be coming to Canada or other regions besides the United States in its initial release, but eventually we expect this change to apply to all regions.

According to an updated ruling from Transport Canada – the Canadian equivalent of the NHTSA – Tesla will have to recall its recent recall for Canadian cars, which was previously mandated by NHTSA in the United States.

Recalling the Recall

Previously, the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) required that Tesla recall its icons that indicate that the Brake is in use, the vehicle is in Park, or that the ABS is in use.

Previously, these were all indicated by icons – but NHTSA mandated they be replaced with larger text that is easier to read.

Canadian Regulation

Transport Canada never issued a similar recall – even with the two administrations sharing many rules and regulations to ensure that North America remains a single, easy region to build vehicles for.

Instead, Transport Canada requires that text in vehicles be appropriate for the user language, and that icons are more easily accessible and understood than text. In this case, Tesla has clearly opted for its icons to take the place of text, and has already reverted the update on Canadian vehicles.

Transport Canada did issue a formal OTA update on May 31 to ensure that the change is propagated to all Canadian vehicles – calling for an email notice, and not a mailed letter.

You can see the updated UI indicators for both Canada and the US in your vehicle’s owner manual.