Model 3 DashCam last minute of accident missing

[Kant.Ing]

Sorry about the loss that OP is experiencing.

No gravity or shock sensor to automatically preserve the critical footage, but allow user intervention/interruption? Their in-house solution so far should be considered as a backup.

Since every minute is only 30 megabytes, a big USB drive is the solution now. Yeah, don't rush!

 

[e-FTW]

This is all very new, don’t consider it a reliable evidence recording device just yet.

And be safe out there!

 

[bedoig]

The reason you have to wait one minute before pressing save is because the videos are saved in 1 minute chunks and when you press save, it saves all the completed videos, not the one currently being recorded. Waiting at least a minute guarantees that the last video being recorded has completed. This is an oversight in the way Tesla coded the software and they should include the video being recorded in the list to be saved.

I don't think this is true. I think it's just a very unrefined, inconsistent implementation that they rushed in. I just tested this on my drive in to work this morning. Someone cut me off and I hit the record button within a second or two of the event. The incident was captured at the very end of the last saved video on my flash drive, with 9 minutes and 45 seconds worth of other boring videos before it.

 

[Leeclanual]

I leave mine running continuously... no reason to have to hit record as it overwrites the oldest file when required.

 

[SMAlset]

Depending on how the accident happens, I would think you’d want to wait a few minutes anyway before stopping and saving off those last 10 minutes. Might miss some important stuff like the other car leaving the scene (or license plates captured as they pull away in front of you) or possible witnesses passing by. Certainly don’t want to forget about doing it either.

 

[Kain]

exact scenario for me last month (but it was swipe on left), after I pulled over the first thing I did was click the icon to download videos, then called police. told the cop that there should be video and should be able to identify the other car, did not take the drive out until I reach home 30 min later, when I checked I have all videos but that exact 2 min at the incident time is missing. wtf, I have nearly 123 files when I looked, went back and plugged in the drive and clicked the icon again, waited few min then came back to computer and looked, guess what I now have only 74 files instead of 123, and I still did not have those 2 min which I badly want it.

The cop called me the next day on phone and I told him this is what i see and he says "you don't have a Honda or Mazda and you have Tesla paid so much for it and when they promise something and it did not work and that's insane."

Till today I haven't fixed the damage yet, wonder where to take it when I want to.

Sorry about your loss! It's crazy how wreckless some drivers are. The worse part is the missing footage can potentially work against you as now you have to explain to insurance why you have footage leading up to right before the accident which can look extremely fishy in their eyes.

If anyone else ever get into a situation like mine, one thing that my friend pointed out which I hadn't even thought about is that our cars have 360 degree sensors and blind spot monitoring as well as lane change obstruction. Chances of you causing an accident by going into another lane is extremely unlikely. In the end, that's why we're paying so much for the technology lol.

 

[SMAlset]

Because of the importance of this TeslaCam feature in accidents, I really wish there was more information on it in the manual. Expectations and behavior of it should be better spelled out. Shouldn’t have to come to the forum to learn after the fact. Definitely more they could elaborate on on this ... and some other features of the car. Maybe we need a “Dummies for Tesla” drivers book or “The Missing Manual” LOL.

 

[e-FTW]

I really don’t see a need to tap on anything after an accident until at least 5 minutes afterwards. Then you could tap to make sure the last 10 are archived.
And even if you forget to do that, as long as you stop TeslaCam within less than an hour afterwards (by tapping and holding) then remove the drive, you will have one full hour’s worth of recording, which will include the accident.

 

[Kain]

I really don’t see a need to tap on anything after an accident until at least 5 minutes afterwards. Then you could tap to make sure the last 10 are archived.
And even if you forget to do that, as long as you stop TeslaCam within less than an hour afterwards (by tapping and holding) then remove the drive, you will have one full hour’s worth of recording, which will include the accident.

Unfortunately not a lot of us are aware of that. And after an accident, we're not always thinking with the clearest mindset. I was under the assumption that pressing the icon to stop the recording will immediately save everything up until that point like my old dashcam. My first reaction was to stop the recording to preserve whatever evidence I have. If I could do things differently, I would most certainly have not stopped anything and record everything.

Normally I have major OCD and make sure I capture every detail of things over and over, but I was so stressed by the entire ordeal that I only captured pics of his fender where the impact area was, and his driver's license. I did not even remember to get pics of his registration and license plate. Thank goodness the footage I did have of him prior to the accident showed his license plate clearly.

 

[Adam3]

Sorry OP

 

[e-FTW]

Unfortunately not a lot of us are aware of that. And after an accident, we're not always thinking with the clearest mindset. I was under the assumption that pressing the icon to stop the recording will immediately save everything up until that point like my old dashcam. My first reaction was to stop the recording to preserve whatever evidence I have. If I could do things differently, I would most certainly have not stopped anything and record everything.

Normally I have major OCD and make sure I capture every detail of things over and over, but I was so stressed by the entire ordeal that I only captured pics of his fender where the impact area was, and his driver's license. I did not even remember to get pics of his registration and license plate. Thank goodness the footage I did have of him prior to the accident showed his license plate clearly.

Totally understandable. As I've outlined earlier (and sent to Tesla), this UI/UX could use some work. Especially because the time where you need it most to work is when you are under stress and distracted.
It is a 1.0 version of the feature, if that. Am sure it will get better.

 

[jeremymc7]

Older thread but similar and I think situation where it should have worked but didn’t.

I went for a 10 min drive and was halfway of my 10 min drive back when I was if.

I saw it coming and it the horn. I had the record on horn activated.

the entire drive to my destination is recorded. The drive back is record expect about the 1-3 min before the horn or hit. Plus no recoding after hit or airbags.

There is no horn file that gives telematics. Unlike other times where I’ve used the horn without any accidents where the horn telematics were recorded along with the needed video.

I didn’t eject the drive. I didn’t hit the camera button. So none of the issues of using the button or ejection should apply.
The car was still on. Phone wa showing location of accident. Spotify was still running. Bluetooth still worked with car speaker.

But again no video recorded before the honk or any video after.

Some say maybe the pyro fuse when the airbags kicked in. But again there is no video of even the min before the crash, not around honk time, or after crash. Even though car was up and running on the infotainment side anyway.

it’s really jacked it.

 

[CertLive]

I had missing dash cam cutoff before and as long as you stop using the drive hopefully you might be able to recover the files that were written at the time. Try a program called Recuva. When I had ppl taking my eniro out for a joy ride it managed to pull back a lof of deleted files. It has also pulled back daily sentry cam videos from the dead. Do the deep scan and give it a little time.

 

[mcdubjr]

Had the same problem yesterday. Wife was in an accident with all the side airbags deployed. A Jeep T-boned the driver's side. Car sat in the middle of the road for about 45 minutes with it's hazards on before I could get to it. I pressed the button to save the clip and stop recording and took the drive home.

When I check the footage and I have everything right up to and after the accident. Just missing that minute. I'd heard of this problem before so I almost expected it. Luckily it doesn't look like cause of accident is in dispute.

As for my wife - she seems to just have a sore neck and hips. Very thankful the car protected her. Model 3 probably totaled.