3 Tesla Features Worth Knowing: Dashcam Viewer, Tire Pressure Monitoring and Voice Commands

Quick Read

• This week's three Tesla features are the Dashcam Viewer, tire pressure monitoring and voice commands.

• Dashcam footage stays on a USB drive in your car, and recent software lets you save clips from the touchscreen or, with Premium Connectivity, from the Tesla app.

• Tesla says tires lose about 1 PSI for every 10 degree drop in outside temperature, so check your pressures as the valley turns cold.

• Voice commands and, on newer cars, Grok can handle climate, defrost, wipers, navigation and calls so your hands stay on the wheel in the rain.

Welcome back to our weekly Tesla features column. Every Tuesday we pick three Tesla features, explain what they do, show you how to use them and add a tip for driving in the Willamette Valley. So far we have covered Pet Mode, scheduled preconditioning and Sentry Mode, headlights, Trip Planner and Camp Mode, the phone key, Auto wipers and FSD (Supervised) and Keep Climate On, scheduled charging and Valet Mode. This week is about three things that matter more once the clocks fall back: the video your car is already recording, the air in your tires and talking to your car instead of tapping the screen.

Menu paths can shift a little between software versions, and some features depend on your car's hardware, so if something looks different on your screen, check the owner's manual for your model. We link to Tesla's own pages throughout.

1. Dashcam Viewer

What it does: Your Tesla's cameras can record while you drive, like a dashcam you'd buy for any other car. Tesla says the video is saved to a USB drive in the car and is not sent to Tesla. The Dashcam Viewer is where you watch, save and delete that footage. According to Tesla's Model 3 manual, Dashcam and Sentry Mode record in cycles and keep overwriting older footage unless you save it.

How to set it up:

• Make sure a USB drive is in the right port. Tesla says cars built from about 2020 on come with a preformatted drive in the glovebox, and the glovebox USB-A port is the one to use for video.

• If you need to format a drive, insert it and touch Controls > Safety > Format USB Drive. Tesla's manual calls for at least 64 GB and a sustained write speed of at least 4 MB/s.

• Turn Dashcam on under Controls > Safety > Dashcam. In the current Model Y manual, Tesla lists three ways to save clips: Auto saves a recording when the car detects a safety-critical event such as a collision, Manual saves the last 10 minutes when you touch the Dashcam icon, and On Honk saves the last 10 minutes when you press the horn.

How to watch clips: With the car in Park, touch the Dashcam icon in the app launcher. Tesla says the Viewer lists clips by location and timestamp, and you can pause, rewind, fast forward and delete them. Tesla also notes that Dashcam recording pauses while the Viewer is open, so close it when you're done. On a computer, the clips are in the TeslaCam folder on the drive.

What's new: Tesla's 2026.14 release notes say recent Dashcam footage can now stretch up to 24 hours, and you can save any clip from that recent footage to your car or your phone through App Launcher > Dashcam Viewer. To watch on your phone, turn on View Camera via Mobile App under Controls > Safety. Tesla says downloads to your phone need Premium Connectivity and Tesla app version 4.55.6 or later, and downloaded clips now show details such as speed, steering wheel angle and Self-Driving state. Not a Tesla App reports that the full 24 hours requires an AMD Ryzen car with Hardware 3 or newer and a drive of 1 TB or more, and that update 2026.20 added clip encryption, on by default and adjustable under Controls > Safety. Encrypted clips can be opened on a computer through Tesla's online viewer at dashcam.tesla.com.

Which models: Not a Tesla App says the 24-hour buffer is available on Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y and Cybertruck with the right hardware, and Tesla's 2026.14 notes list the save-any-clip change for both AMD and older Intel cars. The 24-hour buffer is the part limited to newer AMD hardware. Tesla notes that features can vary by region, configuration and software version.

Tip: Turn on On Honk. If someone drifts into your lane on a dark, wet I-5 commute, a tap of the horn saves the last 10 minutes without you taking your eyes off the road, and you can look at it once you're parked. Tesla warns not to rely on Auto to catch every event, so save the clip yourself when something happens. Not a Tesla App says the factory drive is 128 GB, so move saved clips off now and then. Tesla says the car can no longer save footage once the drive is full.

2. Tire pressure monitoring

What it does: The tire pressure monitoring system, or TPMS, warns you when a tire is low. Most Teslas have direct TPMS, with sensors in the wheels that show the actual pressure of each tire. Tesla's Model 3 manual says pressures show up under Controls > Service, along with when they were last measured and your car's recommended cold tire pressures. You can switch between PSI and Bar under Controls > Display > Tire Pressure, and you can also see the pressures in the Tesla app.

Indirect TPMS on Standard models: Not a Tesla App reports that the newer Standard Model 3 and Model Y dropped the wheel sensors in favor of indirect TPMS, which uses the wheel-speed sensors to spot a tire spinning faster because it's low. Those cars show a yellow or red indicator instead of PSI numbers. Tesla says that after you add air, change, repair or rotate tires on those cars, you need to calibrate under Controls > Service > Tire Pressure > Calibrate Tire Pressure, then drive over 15 mph. Not a Tesla App says the calibration takes about 20 minutes of driving.

How to check and fill:

• Check when the tires are cold. Tesla says to do it after the car has sat for more than three hours, and warns that about a mile of driving warms tires enough to change the reading.

• Use the pressure on the Tire and Loading Information label on the driver's door pillar, even if it's different from the number printed on the tire.

• Check with an accurate gauge, add or let out air, then check again and put the valve cap back.

• On cars with direct TPMS, drive over 15 mph for a short time so the system updates. The warning light doesn't go out the instant you add air.

Tesla also says that if the tire pressure light flashes for about a minute every time you start the car, the system has a fault, and you can book service in the Tesla app.

Which models: According to Tesla's manual, your car has either direct or indirect TPMS, depending on configuration. Whether you see exact PSI readings depends on whether your car has direct or indirect TPMS. Tesla's manual says to check Controls > Service: if you see PSI numbers on the car picture, you have direct TPMS.

Tip: Tesla's manual says tires lose about 1 PSI for every 10 degree drop in outside temperature, and that if the TPMS light comes on in the cold you should add air before driving. A drop from a 75-degree September afternoon to a 35-degree November morning works out to roughly 4 PSI by that rule. Tesla says proper pressure helps protect tires from potholes and improves range, which matters on rough rural roads and long winter drives. One more caution: don't let air out of warm tires to match the cold number. Tesla says a hot tire at or below the recommended cold pressure is dangerously underinflated. If you're heading up to the passes this winter, Tesla's manuals recommend winter tires for cold, snow and ice.

3. Voice commands

What it does: Voice commands let you change settings without hunting through the touchscreen. Tesla's Model 3 manual lists climate, windshield wiper speed, vehicle controls, navigation, phone calls, and apps and settings among the things you can control by voice, and says the system is designed to understand natural requests, like "Make it warmer" or "Turn on the driver's seat heater."

How to use it:

• Fully press the microphone button on the right side of the steering wheel. When you hear the chime, say what you want.

• Some commands, such as Sentry Mode and Pet Mode, only work in Park.

• To change the language the car listens for, touch Controls > Display > Voice Recognition Language.

Grok: On newer cars, Tesla's Grok assistant is taking over much of this. Tesla's Grok support page says it needs an AMD processor, software version 2025.26 or later and Premium Connectivity or a Wi-Fi connection. Tesla's 2026.14 release notes added a "Hey Grok" wake word, turned on in Grok > Settings, plus location-based reminders, and you say "goodbye" to dismiss it. Not a Tesla App reported last week that one owner tested 172 voice commands and Grok handled 119 of them, including "Defrost the windshield," "Turn on all seat heaters," "Show nearby Superchargers" and "Remind me to charge when I get home." Saying "I'm cold" raises the temperature by 3 degrees, and Grok can chain requests in one sentence. Not a Tesla App says Grok still can't lock or unlock the doors, open the trunk or frunk, or pause music, so those still go through the mic button or the screen, and Grok has to be set to the Assistant personality for car controls.

Which models: Standard voice commands are covered in the manuals for current Tesla models. Grok is limited to cars with AMD Ryzen infotainment computers, though Not a Tesla App reports that update 2026.38 quietly added Grok files to Intel Model 3 and Model Y cars.

Tip: On a rainy night when the windshield starts to fog, saying "Defrost the windshield" or asking for faster wipers beats reaching for a menu while you're trying to watch the road. Voice is also the easiest way to call someone or start navigation without picking up your phone. If you hand the car to a valet, remember from last week that Valet Mode turns voice commands off.

Thinking about a Tesla?

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Next Tuesday

That's three more. A new column runs every Tuesday in our EV & Tech section, and we won't repeat a feature. Have a Tesla feature you want explained? Let us know in the comments.

Cover photo: The rear wheel of a red 2023 Tesla Model 3. Photo: Willamette News.