How to Calibrate Your Tesla Cameras for Autopilot

How to calibrate your Tesla's cameras

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If your Tesla is not recognizing objects correctly, if it appears to be performing abnormally, or if you're receiving errors related to your cameras or Autopilot, you may want to calibrate your vehicle's cameras.

The process may take a while to complete, but it's quick and easy to begin.

How Many Cameras Does a Tesla Have?

Teslas with Autopilot 2 or higher have eight cameras around the vehicle, excluding the cabin camera. The cabin camera was initially added with the Model 3 in 2017, and Tesla later enabled its use via a software update.

The cabin camera does not directly impact Autopilot’s performance while engaged. Instead, it’s solely used to help monitor the driver and confirm that they're paying attention while Autopilot is engaged.

Tesla initially equipped its vehicles with ultrasonic sensors, but the Austin-based automotive company is transitioning its vehicles to leverage Tesla Vision exclusively. In 2022 Tesla begin to omit ultrasonic sensors entirely and now uses the vehicle’s cameras exclusively.

How to Calibrate Your Tesla’s Cameras

To calibrate your vehicle's cameras, follow the steps below. Keep in mind that although you can drive your vehicle immediately after performing these steps, some features that depend on the vehicle's cameras will not be available until after calibration is completed.

• Go to “Controls” (the car icon)
• Tap “Service”
• Tap “Camera Calibration”

Once you’ve tapped “Camera Calibration,” a warning message will pop up with the following text:

“Clearing the Autopilot camera calibration will reset the calibrated camera positions and angles stored on the Autopilot computer. This procedure should only be performed if the cameras have been moved due to a windshield or camera replacement. Clearing calibration will result in no Autopilot features until the system recalibrates, which may take up to 100 miles of driving on roads with highly-visible lane lines.”

When you’re ready, tap “Clear Calibration.”

Note: If possible, drive on a long straight road with multiple lanes (like a controlled-access highway) with easily visible lane markings for quicker and more accurate calibration. According to Tesla, “Clear Calibration may not resolve all camera and sensor concerns.”

How Long Does It Take to Calibrate the Cameras?

The blue ring around the Autopilot icon will show you the progress of your camera calibration

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First, you will not be able to use Full Self-Driving, Enhanced Autopilot, or Basic Autopilot. These will all be disabled while the cameras are recalibrated.

The steering wheel icon that previously showed whether Autopilot was engaged will now show a blue ring. As the vehicle gathers data and the software adjusts, the ring will adjust to show the calibration progress. Although it may take up to 100 miles of driving to calibrate your cameras, it's usually much quicker. To be safe, you should plan for the calibration process to take 2-3 hours of driving to complete.

Camera Calibration Stuck at 99%

The ring may get to 99% complete and then get 'stuck.' This is normal. Be patient and allow the car to complete the process. It will resolve itself and the vehicle will notify you when calibration is complete.

If after a few drives and more than 100 miles the recalibration is still stuck, contact Tesla to set up a service appointment. They’ll be able to determine whether the issue is software or hardware-related. Tesla may be able to diagnose your vehicle remotely and push an update to help fix any issues.

Why Do Cameras Need to be Calibrated?

The cameras placed strategically around the vehicle need to be aligned perfectly in order to function properly. Each video feed from the cameras is joined together to form a 360-degree view of the vehicle’s environment. If there's a gap between cameras or an extension overlap, it could cause the vehicle to not see certain areas or see "double." It’s like taking multiple pictures with your phone and then stitching them together. It’s how astronomers edit and stitch pictures together from the James Webb Space Telescope.

The calibration process doesn't actually move the cameras, but instead, it crops and adjusts each camera's feed so that the vehicle sees a single unified image. That’s why the slightest millimeter of miscalibration could cause issues.

What Does Recalibrating Tesla’s Cameras Fix?

Recalibrating the cameras in your Tesla may fix a number of things, including phantom braking, inability to properly detect surrounding objects, Autopilot faults, and various error messages.

Tesla states in their Model 3 instruction manual that a few limitations may cause Autopilot’s functionality to be limited. They include:

• Poor visibility (due to heavy rain, snow, fog, etc.).
• Bright light (due to oncoming headlights, direct sunlight, etc.).
• Damage or obstructions caused by mud, ice, snow, etc.
• Interference or obstruction by object(s) mounted onto the vehicle (such as a bike rack).
Obstruction caused by applying excessive paint or adhesive products (such as wraps, stickers, rubber coating, etc.) onto the vehicle.
• Narrow or winding roads.
• A damaged or misaligned body panel.
• Use of gray or aftermarket glass.
• Interference from other equipment that generates ultrasonic waves.
• Extremely hot or cold temperatures.

If you've just received delivery of your Tesla, your vehicle may still be calibrating its cameras. Look for the blue ring around the Autopilot icon to see if your vehicle is still calibrating its cameras.

Hopefully, after recalibrating your cameras, the issues you were experiencing are fixed. Although recalibrating your cameras does not fix all issues, it's usually a good first step to try.

As always, if you continue to experience issues, you should schedule an appointment with Tesla service through the Tesla app.

Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

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The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.

However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.

Waiting on the Dutch

Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.

The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.

Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied. 

This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.

FSD Supervised testing in Rome, Italy

Pending regulatory approval pic.twitter.com/TXh3uQIfrx

— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) June 12, 2025

DCAS Phase 3

While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.

According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.

This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.

What This Means

This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.

Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.

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Tesla Launches 'TeslaVision' Contest With Big Prizes — See Last Year’s Winner [VIDEO]

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Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.

Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.

Announcing the TeslaVision fan video showcase

Tesla owners & supporters have always been able to see our products & mission for what they truly are.

Your word of mouth has made Tesla what it is today.

The OGs will remember that in 2017, we held our first video contest. 8 years… pic.twitter.com/6pPpkqmqOH

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 10, 2025

The Contest

The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.

Prizes

The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.

For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.

The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.

The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.

Hopefully, these winners will also have the opportunity to experience the Robotaxi network while they’re in Austin, as it’s expected to be opened to the public later this month.

Project Loveday

For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:

How to Enter

If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:

• Video must be 90 seconds or less

• Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL

• Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.

• Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form

• Provide your personal details in the form

• You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.

You can find the official submission form and all region-specific details on Tesla's website.

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