Dashcam requires the use of a properly formatted USB flash drive to store and retrieve footage (see USB Drive Requirements for Recording Videos). Once a properly formatted USB flash drive is inserted into a front USB port, a Dashcam icon is enabled on the Controls screen. While driving, Dashcam automatically begins recording.

To control Dashcam, touch the icon:

RECORDING: Shows that Dashcam is recording. To save video footage, touch the icon. To pause recording, press and hold the icon.

PAUSED: Shows that Dashcam is paused. To resume recording, touch the icon. To avoid losing video footage, pause Dashcam before removing the flash drive.

SAVED: Shows that footage is saved.

To customize how you want Dashcam to operate, touch Controls > Safety and choose:

• Auto: Dashcam automatically saves a recording to the USB flash drive (if available and installed) in situations where Model S detects a safety event, such as a collision or airbag deployment.
  Note

  When Auto is selected, detection can vary and is subject to your vehicle's power, sleep, and Autopilot state.
• Manual: You must touch the Dashcam icon to save a recording of the most recent 10 minutes of driving to the USB flash drive.
• Off: Dashcam is disabled until you select Auto or Manual.
• On Honk: When you press the horn, Dashcam saves a recording of the most recent 10 minutes of driving to the USB flash drive.

You can view videos on the touchscreen when Model S is in Park. Touch the Dashcam (camera) app located in the app launcher. Then touch the menu icon in the top corner of the screen and select the video. The tabs display a list of all video clips, organized by location and timestamp. Pause, rewind, fast forward, and delete video recordings as needed.

You can also view video footage by removing and inserting the USB flash drive into a computer and navigating to the TeslaCam or TeslaTrackMode (if equipped) folder.

The TeslaCam folder contains three sub-folders:

• Recent Clips: When recording, Dashcam continuously saves footage to Recent Clips in 60-minute cycles. Footage is overwritten every hour unless you manually save it. Four videos are recorded for each clip, one from each camera (front, rear, left, and right).
• Saved Clips: Contains all recordings that are saved using Dashcam.
• Sentry Clips: Contains the last 10 minutes of footage from all Sentry Mode events that triggered an Alert or Alarm state. If storage space on the USB flash drive becomes limited, the oldest Sentry Clips are deleted to provide space for new ones. Once deleted, you cannot retrieve them.

When the USB flash drive runs out of storage space, video footage can no longer be saved. To prevent the flash drive from getting full, regularly move saved videos to another device and delete them from the flash drive.

While in Sentry Mode, Model S may shift through three states as a response to its surroundings—Standby, Alert, and Alarm:

• Standby. Model S is automatically “on standby” when you activate Sentry Mode. The cameras constantly monitor the surrounding area for possible security threats.
• Alert. If Sentry Mode detects a possible threat, such as someone very close to, or leaning on, Model S, Sentry Mode switches to the Alert state, where:
  • Headlights briefly flicker.
  • The touchscreen displays a message indicating that cameras are recording.
  • Sentry Mode saves the most recent 10 minutes of footage prior to the triggered event to the USB flash drive (if available and installed).
• Alarm. For major threats, Sentry Mode:
  • Activates the security alarm and the audio system generates a loud and unexpected sound.
  • Sends an alert to the mobile app on phones that are paired to Model S to inform you that the alarm state is triggered.
  • Saves the most recent 10 minutes of footage prior to the triggered event to the USB flash drive (if available and installed).
  • Returns to the Standby state after 30 seconds.
  CAUTION

  Sentry Mode may not activate the security alarm in all situations involving damage to the vehicle. Sentry Mode uses many factors to determine whether to activate the security alarm—all impacts may not be detected and the alarm may not activate in all situations.

Use the Dashcam viewer to view Sentry Mode recordings when Model S is in Park. For details on how to configure a flash drive and view footage (see USB Drive Requirements for Recording Videos).

You can customize Sentry Mode to disable at specific locations where you park your vehicle:

• Exclude Home: Sentry Mode does not operate at the location you set as Home in your favorites list (see Home, Work, and Favorite Destinations), but operates at any other parking location.
  Note

  To set up your Home location, touch Navigateand hold down Home, then enter your address. Touch Save as Home.
• Exclude Work: Sentry Mode does not operate at the location you set as Work in your Favorites list, but operates at any other parking location. Set your Work location the same way you set your Home location.
• Exclude Favorites: Sentry Mode does not operate at any location in your Favorites list, but activates at any other parking location.

To recognize a location listed as Home, Work, or a Favorite, Model S must be parked within 32 feet (10 meters) of the saved location.

Manually turning Sentry Mode on or off using the touchscreen or the mobile app overrides your Home, Work, or Favorite exclusion preferences until the next time you drive.

When Sentry Mode is enabled, you can use the mobile app to remotely view the area surrounding Model S as seen through the exterior cameras.

To enable, touch Controls > Safety > Sentry Mode > View Live Camera via Mobile App on the Model S touchscreen. Once enabled, ensure there are no occupants in the vehicle and all doors are closed. Then, on the Tesla mobile app, go to Safety > Sentry Mode and touch View Live Camera to see a live video feed of your vehicle’s surroundings.

In addition, if Model S is equipped with a pedestrian warning speaker (see Pedestrian Warning System), you can press and hold the microphone button on the mobile app to transmit your voice through this speaker.

When View Live Camera is actively being used, Model S may periodically flash its exterior lights and display a message on the touchscreen to notify others that the area surrounding the vehicle is being viewed through the cameras.

View Live Camera is limited to approximately one hour (or 15 minutes for some regions) of cumulative usage per day.