In January we reported that Tesla was getting ready to add a new airbag horn to the Model S yoke steering wheel. The new feature was spotted on a yoke steering wheel with the sticker “AIRBAG HORN ENABLED IN SW-352573.”
The change was going to be a welcomed addition as one of the biggest criticisms of the yoke steering wheel was the awkward horn button the right side of the wheel.
At the time we suspected it would only be added to newer cars through a hardware change on the production line, and not a software update that would turn it on for existing owners.
As it turns out that is partially correct. Yesterday CEO Elon Musk confirmed on Twitter that a new “push center” horn has been included in cars built since November.
According to Musk, all that is holding back the horn being activated is a firmware update.
All cars made since November also have push center for horn – just waiting on firmware update. If you mash right side of yoke with your palm, horn will trigger.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2022
Unfortunately Musk did not give a timeline for when it would be released, but considering it was first spotted in January, owners shouldn’t have to wait too much longer.
This is the first sign that Tesla is willing to make changes to the design of the yoke steering wheel.
When it was first released last year it controversial not only because of its unusual shape, but also because it came without stalks (and a conventional horn), with those functions instead being added as buttons on the left and right sides of the wheel.
In another sign the automaker might be making more changes, evidence of a steering wheel swap to replace the yoke with a round wheel was recently discovered in internal Tesla software.
Elon Musk hints at steer-by-wire yoke steering in Cybertruck, confirms it will be a ‘tech bandwagon’
