Tesla locks heated rear seats behind paywall
Tesla charged $300 for rear heated seats in Model 3 Standard Range variants where the heating hardware was already installed but software-disabled. Tesla discontinued this practice in 2022 following customer criticism.
Background[edit | edit source]
Tesla has been the pioneer car manufacturer of over-the-air (OTA) software updates, being the first ever to send one in 2012.[1] While having full control of the software and being able ustto send updates can benefit comers in many ways, it enables the manufacturer to software-lock certain features and hardware that are present and otherwise functional in the car.
Incident[edit | edit source]
This has been the case for the Model 3 Standard Range and Standard Range Plus between 2020 and 2022, where not only was the heated seats hardware already present, but it was also enabled for the first few months in the case of the Standard Range Plus. Tesla then software-locked this feature behind a $300 paywall.[2][3][4]
Due to consumer backlash, the feature has become a free option since the 2022 model year and has been enabled in some older models.[5]
See also[edit | edit source]
- Tesla locks battery range behind paywall
- BMW feature lockout scandal
- Mazda remote-start subscription
- BMW's heated seat subscription
- Software locks
- Audi Basic HVAC "Sync" Function Paywalled
- Mercedes-Benz locks horsepower behind paid subscription
- Volkswagen locks horsepower behind paid subscription
- Mercedes-Benz EQS rear-wheel steering requires subscription
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Newcomb, Doug; Lugo, Ryan (11 Apr 2025). "Still Loading: The Slow Roll of Automotive Over-the-Air Updates". motortrend.com. Retrieved 22 Aug 2025.
- ↑ Klender, Joey (15 Feb 2020). "Tesla unlocks rear heated seats for Model 3 SR and SR Plus as paid OTA upgrade". teslarati.com. Retrieved 22 Aug 2022.
- ↑ Loveday, Steven (18 Feb 2020). "Tesla Model 3 Heated Rear Seats: Simple, Fast & Inexpensive Process". insideevs.com. Retrieved 22 Aug 2025.
- ↑ Lambert, Fred (15 Feb 2020). "Tesla starts selling rear-heated seats on Model 3 SR and SR Plus as $300 OTA upgrade". electrek.co. Retrieved 22 Aug 2025.
- ↑ r/TeslaModel3. "I just noticed rear seat heating option has been activated for free!". Reddit. Retrieved 22 Aug 2025.
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