Buying used Model Y. Will buying 2021 for Ultra Sonic Sensors help?

[yuvarajn]

Hi,
I am looking into buying a used Tesla Model Y. From what I see in Tesla site, the Ultra Sonic Sensors were removed from 2022 onwards. Is there specific benefits in buying a car with USS in them. Like for parking etc?
Also any idea when was radar removed from the Model Y cars? From what I understand even if I have Radar in the car it will not be used in the software. Is that a correct assumption?

 

[jjrandorin]

You are looking at this wrong. You should expect that, cars with USS will likely eventually have those disconnected too, just like radar. If you feel that USS is a must have feature, you probably need to look at another brand that have them, not buying an older Tesla model Y because it currently has them.

 

[yuvarajn]

Not specifically for USS but thought it could be a plus especially when parking in close quarters. Any ideas whether this sort of information can be looked up in ev-cpo or tesla site when looking at used cars?

 

[E90alex]

2023 model year is when they removed it. Any Tesla listed as a 2022 should have USS.

 

[jkdman123]

Hi,
I am looking into buying a used Tesla Model Y. From what I see in Tesla site, the Ultra Sonic Sensors were removed from 2022 onwards. Is there specific benefits in buying a car with USS in them. Like for parking etc?
Also any idea when was radar removed from the Model Y cars? From what I understand even if I have Radar in the car it will not be used in the software. Is that a correct assumption?

I think Radar was removed from new cars the same time USS was. And yes, there are reports of service centers disconnecting legacy radars since the software was updated to not use them. I can't find any reports of installed USS being disconnected, though. Someone on another forum said that if you have USS, it is not used while driving but is used for parking.

 

[E90alex]

I think Radar was removed from new cars the same time USS was. And yes, there are reports of service centers disconnecting legacy radars since the software was updated to not use them. I can't find any reports of installed USS being disconnected, though. Someone on another forum said that if you have USS, it is not used while driving but is used for parking.

Radar was removed from Model 3/Y around 2021. USS was not removed until late 2022 production for the 2023 model year switchover. All model year 2023 3/Y don’t have USS.

Model S/X lagged a bit behind in both radar removal and USS removal. I think they had the radar until sometime in 2022 (now software disabled) and kept USS until approx Q2 2023 production. So there exists some 2023 model year S/X with USS and some without.

 

[zoomer0056]

I have a Feb 2022 MSLR, it has USS. The USS, however IMHO is not very useful. But some swear by them and like how they work. Others with vision only, wish they had USS. I don't think Tesla will ever disable the USS on cars that have them.

 

[3sr+buyer]

Is there specific benefits in buying a car with USS in them. Like for parking etc?

USS mainly benefits parking when you want to put the front of the car very close to something, since there is a camera blind spot at or below bumper height in front of the car.

 

[David99]

I have learned to drive and park without parking sensors. My first Model S came without parking sensors. It was an early 2014 model. My last Model S finally had them and to be honest, they didn't help me. They never warned me of something I didn't see in the first place. More the opposite. They warned me of objects that I could see either in front or with the backup camera and clearly saw I had plenty of room left when the parking sensors yelled 'Stop'. There were just not useful.

One could argue that they might warn me from an object I didn't see. In theory maybe, but in reality that just never happened. The sensors do miss small or thin objects so I cannot rely on them. Because they were constantly warning me of objects that I didn't need warnings for, I learned to just ignore the sensors for the most part.

I just got a Model Y without parking sensors and I don't miss them at all. The vision system works great for backing up. Probably better than ultra sonic sensors. I can see good enough in front with my own eyes.

 

[OxBrew]

I would get the newest lowest miles Y you can afford/find. USS is nice, I use it maybe once a month pulling out of a parallel parking spot.

Much more valuable is lower miles and longer warranty. If you have to back and fill one time, getting out of a parking spot once a month, that's worth having a newer car, no question.

 

[bruce4000]

I have USS sensors on 2021 model Y but not very useful for parking depending on your situation. I park where there is a curb, a sidewalk, and then a low retaining wall. The USS seems to bounce off the retaining wall so will tell me I have 36” to go but my front tires are only a few inches from the curb. I would much rather have a front bumper camera.

 

[E90alex]

I have USS sensors on 2021 model Y but not very useful for parking depending on your situation. I park where there is a curb, a sidewalk, and then a low retaining wall. The USS seems to bounce off the retaining wall so will tell me I have 36” to go but my front tires are only a few inches from the curb. I would much rather have a front bumper camera.

USS is not meant to detect curbs. That’s too low for the sensors.

 

[Ludatik]

USS was not removed until late 2022 production for the 2023 model year switchover. All model year 2023 3/Y don’t have USS.

This is generally accurate but there are some early 2023 Model Y’s with USS (like mine). My car was manufactured October 2022, right at the transition to the 2023 model year.