Tesla is recalling about 356,000 Model 3s because of a kink in the backup camera cable when the trunk is closed. It applies to Model 3 sedans manufactured between July 15, 2017 and September 30, 2020. Eventually, with lots of openings and closings of the trunk, the kink in the coaxial cable could cause the cable to crack. Then, you wouldn’t be able to see the picture the backup camera normally shows.
Tesla's rear camera cable can kink when the trunk closes
I was disappointed that I haven't seen any pictures that show the problem. I figured that it would be easy to climb in the closed trunk and take some pictures, but when I looked at the cable, I realized that the cable is outside the rubber gasket that keeps rainwater out of the trunk. So climbing into the trunk and getting closed in wouldn’t help.
The way I took the pictures below was to stand outside the car and take pictures of the cable with the trunk in various degrees of closure. Fortunately, camera phones have such tiny lenses that it’s feasible to photograph things through very narrow slits and get a reasonably clear picture.
You can see from the photographs that with the trunk wide open, there’s no kink in the cable at all, but the more the trunk is closed, the sharper the angle of the cable becomes. If your cable gives out before you have the opportunity to get the fix, you’ll still be able to back up. You’ll just have to twist your neck around the way you did it before they invented backup cameras.
You also won't get video coverage of collisions if someone rear-ends your car if the cable fails. I suspect that the way Tesla will handle this recall is that they'll space out the inspections but will give priority to people who already have failure of the backup camera.
If you want to see the same cable in your own car, open your trunk. It’s on your right as you’re facing the trunk looking from the rear.
Tesla's rear camera cable can kink when the trunk closes
Checking if your car is affected
You can confirm your Tesla is affected by the recall by visiting Tesla's recall search page. You'll need your vehicle VIN number, which you can find at the bottom of Tesla's mobile app, or by logging in to your account page on Tesla's website.
If you're doing this on your mobile device, you can simply tap and hold on your VIN number in the app in order to copy it.
Tesla's rear camera cable can kink when the trunk closes
At this time Tesla has started to send out email to some owners stating that no immediate action is required unless your rear camera has stopped working. Tesla will reach out to you to schedule a service visit once they have enough parts in stock.
The service visit will be covered free of charge.
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Tesla’s recent focus on expanding and vertically integrating its battery production is beginning to take global steps, starting with a battery recycling and service center in South Australia. In Marion, a suburb of Adelaide, the council recently voted in favor of a proposal that would see contaminated public land developed and leased to Tesla.
The move promises local jobs and environmental remediation but has garnered a lot of public debate focused on Elon’s moves outside his role as CEO.
The proposal involves a site that’s currently unusable for recreation due to chemical contamination. A local developer plans to acquire and remediate the land, constructing a new facility specifically for Tesla. This site would reportedly serve two purposes: recycling old lithium-ion batteries and serving as a Tesla Service Center.
Tesla’s Commitment to Recycling
Tesla recently announced its intention to ramp up its battery recycling and repurposing efforts. During the Q1 2025 Earnings Call, Tesla’s executives highlighted substantial progress. Tesla had recycled enough materials in Q1 2025 to build approximately 21,000 Model Y RWD vehicles, representing a 136% year-over-year increase from Q1 2024.
Dedicated regional hubs like this one would be a logical next step in expanding the recycling loop and furthering Tesla’s vertical integration while also reducing its reliance on new materials. In addition, local sources also mentioned that Tesla could be repurposing older lithium-ion batteries for other purposes, including their inclusion in stationary battery storage systems like Powerwall or Megapack.
Of course, the facility also has major benefits for the local community, including creating around 100 local jobs, as well as injecting approximately $56 million into the local economy. Further, developing the contaminated land as a renewable facility is one of the safest ways to use the land that’s been sealed off from the public for nearly a decade.
Elon’s Image
The proposal isn’t without its critics. Local opposition was voiced during community consultations, with most of the negative sentiment directed towards Elon rather than the facility itself. Despite these complaints, the local council elected to proceed, arguing that tangible economic and environmental benefits far outweigh any perceived geopolitical or symbolic harm that shutting down the project could cause.
With the council’s endorsement on record, the proposal now moves to the South Australian state government for approvals regarding the change in land classification.
Tesla’s software updates often hide some undocumented features alongside the official release notes, and software update 2025.20 is no exception. With this update, Tesla has introduced a welcome quality-of-life improvement for the in-vehicle Dashcam Viewer. Users now have the ability to select and delete multiple clips at once (thanks, Max!). However, this addition is limited to the updated Dashcam Viewer for Ryzen-based vehicles.
While it may seem a small change, if you wanted to clear out your Dashcam clips, you’d have to either delete them one by one in the vehicle or remove your Dashcam USB drive and take it to a computer to erase all the clips at once. For those who frequently see Sentry Mode notifications or often record clips with their Dashcam, this is a useful addition.
This feature is currently limited to vehicles that have received the updated Dashcam viewer - which means vehicles equipped with AMD Ryzen processors (how to tell if you have Intel or AMD). This includes all Model 3 and Model Y vehicles with AMD Ryzen, as well as the 2021+ Model S and Model X vehicles.
Unfortunately, since the Cybertruck does not yet have access to the updated Dashcam viewer or support for the additional two cameras in Sentry Mode, it has not received this feature yet either.
This undocumented feature is a very welcomed addition for many users who carefully manage their Dashcam and Sentry Mode videos.
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