By: Otaiba Ahsan

If you live in an environment with heavy snow during the Winter, or often drive over unpaved and muddy roads, it’s possible for your car to get stuck. However, if you’re a Tesla owner then it’s your lucky day, as all their vehicles are equipped with a feature called Slip Start that can help get you out of these situations. Continue for steps on how to use Slip Start for your Tesla.

Traction Control

Before we discuss Slip Start, it’s important to know how the traction control system works for your Tesla. The system constantly monitors the speed of the front and rear wheels, and if your vehicle experiences loss of traction, the system minimizes wheel spin by controlling brake pressure and motor power.

NOTE: By default, the traction control system remains on. Tesla recommends that it should always be on under normal conditions to ensure maximum safety for yourself and any passengers.

A yellow indicator will flash on the touchscreen whenever the system is engaged. If the indicator stays on, it means that a fault is detected with the traction control system. Tesla Service should be contacted in this case.

WARNING: Tesla cautions all its drivers that traction control cannot prevent collisions caused by driving dangerously or by turning too sharply at high speeds.

How to Use Slip Start

If you need to allow the wheels to spin at a limited speed, you can enable Slip Start. This feature can be turned on at any speed, however it’s less effective at higher ones.

Under normal conditions, Slip Start shouldn’t be used. However, there may be situations where you deliberately want the wheels to spin, which include:

Starting on a loose surface like gravel or snow.
Driving in deep snow, sand, or mud.
Rocking out of a hole or deep rut.

To enable Slip Start, tap Controls > Pedals & Steering > Slip Start when in your Tesla. The touchscreen will then display an alert message when it’s been enabled.

NOTE: Slip Start will automatically be disabled the next time you start your vehicle. However, Tesla recommends that you disable it immediately after the circumstances that required you to turn it on have passed.

The Bottom Line

The steps on how to use Slip Start for your Tesla are easy. When in your car, touch Controls > Pedals & Steering > Slip Start. This feature is useful for situations where you might be stuck such as in sand, deep snow, mud, or any other loose surface. Be sure to turn it off as soon as you’re out of the circumstance that required you to enable it.