Tesla can easily fix problem with heated steering wheel

[PGeer]

Okay, so this isn't earth shattering, but now that cold weather is upon us, I'm back to griping about a bad UI decision by Tesla. A question: when it's cold and you decide to turn on your heated seat, what's the chance you'd like the heated steering wheel as well? In my case, it's about 100%.

The problem: drivers heated seat and steering wheel heat are decoupled in several ways.

1. You can turn on heated seat from front screen, but always have to go to the cold weather screen to turn on steering wheel.
2. The heated seat is persistent. It stays on next time you enter the car. The steering wheel heat turns off every time car shuts down.

The solution:
1. Create a toggle in cold weather screen: couple/decouple heated steering wheel and driver's heated seat
2. When toggled on, turning on heated seat on front screen also turns on steering wheel. (there could be a small icon indicating this, but not necessary.
3. Both the seat and steering wheel persist. So next time you start car, both come on.
4. If you want to turn off steering wheel but not seat, go back to cold weather screen and turn off like now (or decouple if you never want them to work together.

Tesla - if you're listening, simple fix which would be greatly appreciated by those of us not living in a warm state.

 

[lardlad00]

This is probably the biggest complaint I have with the Tesla UI. I would use the heated steering wheel almost every day for a good 4-5 months of the year but I never think of it because it's too many clicks deep. There needs to be an easier toggle somewhere.

 

[McManX]

I just wish you could do all the cold weather features from your phone. Then the rest is moot.

 

[YNOT3]

Ha. That actually does sound annoyingly obvious. They could easily make these options available for both and put the controls for them on the same screen. Sadly my car only comes with heated front seats. Didn’t have the sub zero package.

 

[dhanson865]

Okay, so this isn't earth shattering, but now that cold weather is upon us, I'm back to griping about a bad UI decision by Tesla. A question: when it's cold and you decide to turn on your heated seat, what's the chance you'd like the heated steering wheel as well? In my case, it's about 100%.

The problem: drivers heated seat and steering wheel heat are decoupled in several ways.

1. You can turn on heated seat from front screen, but always have to go to the cold weather screen to turn on steering wheel.

I'd use the heated steering wheel 50 times more often than the heated seat. I do in my current car.

I'd rather just have point 1 reversed. If only one can be conveniently accessed I want the steering wheel to be the quick choice.

 

[Johann Koeber]

Great suggestions here-I concurr.

If the heated steering wheel switch is your main complaint then this is a great car, great company and you have a first world problem.

Now hope the next update provides the solution.

 

[pdx3181]

You should be able to long press on the driver heated seat icon, to produce a box just above your finger for heated wheel. When it appears, you slide your finger up, release, and your heated wheel comes on. Same thing to turn it off when it’s on.

 

[Yinn]

Okay, so this isn't earth shattering, but now that cold weather is upon us, I'm back to griping about a bad UI decision by Tesla. A question: when it's cold and you decide to turn on your heated seat, what's the chance you'd like the heated steering wheel as well? In my case, it's about 100%.

The problem: drivers heated seat and steering wheel heat are decoupled in several ways.

1. You can turn on heated seat from front screen, but always have to go to the cold weather screen to turn on steering wheel.
2. The heated seat is persistent. It stays on next time you enter the car. The steering wheel heat turns off every time car shuts down.

The solution:
1. Create a toggle in cold weather screen: couple/decouple heated steering wheel and driver's heated seat
2. When toggled on, turning on heated seat on front screen also turns on steering wheel. (there could be a small icon indicating this, but not necessary.
3. Both the seat and steering wheel persist. So next time you start car, both come on.
4. If you want to turn off steering wheel but not seat, go back to cold weather screen and turn off like now (or decouple if you never want them to work together.

Tesla - if you're listening, simple fix which would be greatly appreciated by those of us not living in a warm state.

Fun fact: The Jeep Grand Cherokee has an auto on feature. When it is under 40F outside, the driver heated seat and steering wheel both turn on...I wouldn’t mind that in my Tesla as well - especially upon “remote start” aka climate via app.

 

[Freedom101]

I just wish you could do all the cold weather features from your phone. Then the rest is moot.

This! Put it on the app. I've said this before and am baffled at why it's not there. Sometimes I think it's just not a priority or in most people's minds because of those warm California winters...

 

[travwill]

Yeah, requested this a few times directly, wrote Tesla, etc. Have wanted the steering and wipers added to app (and seats) for years now on S and X. Kinda defeats some of the purpose of cold weather package if you have to get in the car and be freezing cold a bit to turn on steering, wipers, defrosters and sit there and wait versus doing in the app for a bit. Ridiculous that they are still not there.

 

[ChrML]

I personally wouldn't recommend adding the couple/decouple option. Because adding more choices also causes more confusion, and can make the overall end-user experience worse. Especially very specific and not really necessary options like that.

But to improve user friendliness you could:
1. Make the heated steeringwheel persist like the heated seats.
2. Add a "tap and pull up" gesture on the heated seat icon for quick toggle of each feature from main screen.
3. Add it to the app. That should be very few minutes work really... and be of great comfort.

 

[Daniellane]

This issue was the inspiration for a suggestion I posted and submitted to Tesla. I recently got an email response from Tesla

Several functions are buried within menus which can be distracting to access while driving.
For example:
I really like using the heated steering wheel function.
I was thinking how great it would be if it was down there with my heated seat button in the climate controls.
Although buttons on the bottom of the screen tend to be less accessible than buttons near the top of the screen in terms of taking my eyes off the road.
So my idea is to have a bar on the top of the screen similar to favorites bars like those you see in web browsers. It could drop down when you press a (heart) icon.
Then make it possible for any function to be added to that bar (Including favorite destinations contacts and music selections)
This could be accomplished with a (heart+) icon next to functions in the interface to allow them to be added to the favorites bar.
Also, allow the favorites bar to be edited in such a way that functions could be resorted/arranged and renamed.

On the day I started this thread I sent a feature request to Tesla.
Kind of shocked this morning when I got this email from Tesla customer support:

Hello Daniel,

Thank you for contacting Tesla Customer Support with your suggestion about a Universal Favorites Bar on your touchscreen. We appreciate your feedback, and will forward it to our Feature Request team for consideration in future updates. We cannot promise that this feature will be available, but our team reviews every customer request seriously. Please visit our Support Page, which covers frequently asked questions about Tesla and your vehicle. If you have any further questions or concerns, you can reach Customer Support 24/7 at [email protected] or by phone at 1-877-79-TESLA (83752).

 

[Daniellane]

Although it seems if you’re just trying to solve the annoying heated steering wheel issue the best place to access it might be from the steering wheel Itself similar to the way you access fan speed… or triple clicking one of the steering wheel buttons…

 

[3s-a-charm]

I also agree with this... I use the heated steering wheel more often than the seat. Would absolutely LOVE to have it on the app for pre-warming and on the main display for quick access to heated steering wheel.

 

[gjunky]

+1 for adding this and the seats to the App AND an option to use the steering wheel controls to toggle the heated steering wheel (and perhaps all seat heaters off)

 

[Seattle Tom]

Okay, so this isn't earth shattering, but now that cold weather is upon us, I'm back to griping about a bad UI decision by Tesla. A question: when it's cold and you decide to turn on your heated seat, what's the chance you'd like the heated steering wheel as well? In my case, it's about 100%.

The problem: drivers heated seat and steering wheel heat are decoupled in several ways.

1. You can turn on heated seat from front screen, but always have to go to the cold weather screen to turn on steering wheel.
2. The heated seat is persistent. It stays on next time you enter the car. The steering wheel heat turns off every time car shuts down.

The solution:
1. Create a toggle in cold weather screen: couple/decouple heated steering wheel and driver's heated seat
2. When toggled on, turning on heated seat on front screen also turns on steering wheel. (there could be a small icon indicating this, but not necessary.
3. Both the seat and steering wheel persist. So next time you start car, both come on.
4. If you want to turn off steering wheel but not seat, go back to cold weather screen and turn off like now (or decouple if you never want them to work together.

Tesla - if you're listening, simple fix which would be greatly appreciated by those of us not living in a warm state.

I haven’t noticed this yet but maybe I will now that Winter is here. Bit I think the fix ie easier than even your points above.

Whenever one clicks the temp icons (no long press required) it displays a blue pop up right above asking “Sync Temp?” Just add that same item above the drivers side heated seat icon that says “Sync Steering Wheel?”

That seems to be the most efficient way to handle it with the least downstream issues.

 

[PGeer]

I probably should have mentioned in my initial post that we have a Leaf (our second one) and when you preheat the car, the steering wheel also heats up. Come on Tesla...if you're listening....

 

[Nerdy_Engineer]

I like the idea of making it easier to get to the steering wheel temperature. I think an even easier way would be when you tap the heated seat button, the screen that pops up for adjusting the temperature could be expanded to include the heated steering wheel too. And I think the heated steering wheel should have 3 (at least 2) temperature settings. I find that it gets too hot after a while so I end up toggling it on/off on long winter drives.

 

[vandacca]

Maybe replace the rainbow road toggle (pull autopilot stalk 4 times) with heated steering wheel since you can get to the easter egg from the main console now.

 

[lunitiks]

Maybe replace the rainbow road toggle (pull autopilot stalk 4 times) with heated steering wheel since you can get to the easter egg from the main console now.

Brilliant!