Tesla has reportedly begun making available pedestrian warning system speaker retrofits for select Model 3s, after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) deemed them necessary back in 2019.
Trevor Page, the owner of Tesla Owners Online forum and a Model 3 owner himself, confirmed over the weekend that pedestrian warning system speaker retrofits were being made available for certain Model 3s made after July 5 2019 through September 9 2020, and Model Ys built before August 14 2020.
The specific timing has to do with the period when Tesla had included the wiring harness but not the speaker – whereas all Model 3s built after September 2020 have the speaker already installed.
According to Page, who posted the news in a post on his Tesla Owners Online forum, the cost for the retrofit is $US200 and must be conducted either via a service visit or mobile, but not by the user as the car must be configured by a technical operator in order for the car to recognise the speaker.
“Refer to Tesla SI-21-90-001 when you make an appointment to have it installed for reference,” Page said.
It was Page who also first broke the news of the noisemakers being installed in Tesla models back in 2019.
Further, according to Page, the retrofit also “allows for use of the new Boombox feature in V10 as well.” Tesla’s Boombox feature was added with the Version 10 software and allows owners to play sounds audibly for those outside the vehicle to hear.
Since then, custom noises have become quite popular amongst some Tesla owners.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.