The difficulty of Tesla's FSD implementation in China has given rise to a gray industry chain: Installing a knock - off version only costs a few hundred yuan, and the official warns that "modification will affect the vehicle's warranty service."
“The amazing Tesla allows you to drive without holding the steering wheel. It has removed the 'warning sound and forced exit from assisted driving when the hands leave the steering wheel' function, and the enhanced assisted driving worth 32,000 yuan can be used for free.” Recently, a reporter from National Business Daily (hereinafter referred to as the reporter) found on e - commerce platforms that for Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) and Full Self - Driving (FSD) functions, which are officially priced from 32,000 yuan to 64,000 yuan, some e - commerce platforms are selling modification modules that can crack multiple functions at prices ranging from a few hundred yuan to a thousand yuan.
Among them, a product called the “Tesla Multifunctional Module” has accumulated sales of 69,000 units. There are many positive reviews in the comment section, such as “truly freeing your hands” and “driving without holding the steering wheel.”
What functions of Tesla have these modification modules actually cracked? Some modified car owners also told the reporter about the frightening incidents that occurred after the modification. Driving is no trivial matter. Why do car owners still take the risk of entrusting their life safety to counterfeit modification modules?
1. Counterfeit Modifications of Tesla's Intelligent Driving Modules Are “Hot”
On multiple e - commerce platforms, searching for keywords such as “Tesla AP (Basic Autopilot) No - Disturbance” and “Multifunctional Tesla Module” can yield nearly a hundred relevant products. Counterfeit products priced at only a few hundred yuan are generally promoted under the slogan of “enjoying a ten - thousand - yuan - level autonomous driving experience for a few hundred yuan.”
Screenshot of the product page on an e - commerce platform
Some short videos posted by merchants clearly claim that they can achieve some functions of Tesla's EAP + FSD for 700 yuan.
Screenshot of the merchant's promotional page
“You can get the experience of the 32,000 - yuan Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) for just a few hundred yuan. These modules are all officially matched,” a merchant specializing in selling counterfeit Tesla intelligent driving modification modules told the reporter. He said that these modules are currently selling well, and “non - destructive installation” services can be provided nationwide. After installation, dozens of advanced driving functions such as “AP No - Disturbance” and “Automatic Lane Change” can be unlocked, and lifetime OTA (Over - the - Air) updates are supported. These functions originally required a paid subscription.
When the reporter asked if there were any stores in Beijing that could provide such services, the merchant directly replied, “There are the most cooperative stores in Beijing. If you place an order now, it can be shipped on the same day.”
Modification module. Picture source: Provided by the interviewee
However, after comparing with Tesla's official website, the reporter found that the actual functions of the above counterfeit products are fundamentally different from Tesla's official Enhanced Autopilot function (EAP) priced at 32,000 yuan.
Taking Tesla's official EAP function as an example, it includes multiple advanced functions such as intelligent assisted lane change, automatic parking, and advanced smart summon. However, the counterfeit modules on the market only make simple modifications to the free Basic Autopilot (AP) function, mainly achieving two changes:
First, after activating Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), there is no need to manually reactivate AP when changing lanes.
Second, the warning sound for steering wheel grip detection is removed. As for core functions such as automatic parking, these modification modules cannot support them.
According to the official manual, when the driver activates the AP function, they must hold the steering wheel with both hands and stay focused. If the system detects that the hands have left the steering wheel for a long time, it will first emit a “beep beep beep” warning sound. After multiple warnings, if the problem persists, the assisted driving will be forcibly exited. The core function of these modification modules is to eliminate the steering wheel grip detection of the system, allowing the driver to operate without holding the steering wheel at all. There are also dozens of similar positive reviews in the merchant's store comment section, such as “driving without holding the steering wheel.”
Screenshot source: Tesla's official website
In addition to removing the restrictions on the Basic Autopilot function, these modules also claim to provide additional functions such as seat massage, battery preheating, and pulse horn. Regarding the installation method, the merchant emphasized that it is “installed by taking a separate wire without damaging the original vehicle's wiring,” and promised that “if there is a problem with the use, it can be replaced with a new one.” However, when the reporter asked if it would affect the vehicle's warranty, the merchant replied vaguely, “So far, there have been no problems with the installed vehicles, but we can't guarantee it won't affect the warranty.”
A professional vehicle maintenance person told the reporter that the working principle of these modules is to bypass the system restrictions by deceiving the vehicle's sensors, which is a typical “software crack.”
When the reporter visited Tesla's official maintenance center in Chaoyang District, Beijing, the staff clearly stated, “This kind of modification belongs to the transformation of electrical control components, which interferes with the vehicle's computer module and will affect the warranty.”
The reporter learned from Tesla's official online customer service that any non - official modification will invalidate the vehicle's warranty and may also pose safety hazards.
2. The Vehicle's System Crashed Twice Half a Month After Installing the Counterfeit Module
An industry insider engaged in second - hand car sales analyzed to the reporter, “The emergence of this market is mainly due to two reasons: one is the lack of functions in Tesla's original configuration, and the other is the high pricing of the official advanced driving assistance system.”
Specifically, Tesla models generally lack comfort configurations such as seat massage and seat ventilation. Some car owners found this shortcoming after purchasing the car and were reluctant to bear the high cost of official modifications, so they turned to the third - party modification market. “Here, you can install function modules such as seat massage for only a few hundred yuan. This huge price difference naturally gives rise to a strong demand for modifications like intelligent driving modules,” the above industry insider said.
Picture source: Tesla's official APP
A deeper reason lies in Tesla's pricing strategy for its intelligent driving system. Its Enhanced Autopilot function (EAP) is priced at 32,000 yuan, and the Full Self - Driving (FSD) system is as high as 64,000 yuan. This price level far exceeds the psychological expectations of Chinese consumers and is significantly higher than the pricing of similar products from other automakers. For example, Huawei's intelligent driving system allows you to purchase it for 10,000 yuan in the first month after buying a car. Facing Tesla's high optional installation fees, some consumers began to look for alternative solutions. The “cracking modules” priced at a few hundred yuan on the market claim to be able to achieve similar functions. Although there are risks, their price advantage still attracts many car owners to take the risk.
However, this kind of modification actually hides multiple risks. According to Article 16 of the Road Traffic Safety Law, no unit or individual shall arbitrarily change the registered structure, construction, or characteristics of a motor vehicle. Although the merchants claim “non - destructive installation,” in fact, any modification involving the vehicle's circuit system may be regarded as an illegal modification.
Installation steps of the counterfeit module provided by the merchant. Picture source: Provided by the interviewee
The reporter's investigation found that modification merchants often promote their products with the selling point of “not affecting the annual vehicle inspection,” claiming that “the vehicle can easily pass the inspection.” However, when the reporter called a vehicle inspection center in Beijing to inquire, the staff clearly stated, “Although the internal small parts of the vehicle are not disassembled and inspected during the regular annual inspection, these uncertified modification parts pose serious safety hazards, and we do not recommend car owners to install them.”
What is even more worrying are the safety hazards. These cheap modification modules usually have not undergone strict safety tests, and their stability and reliability are questionable. Taking the function of removing the “steering wheel grip detection” as an example, it may cause the driver to relax their vigilance when activating the assisted driving, thereby increasing the risk of accidents.
According to the Automobile Driving Automation Classification (GB/T 40429—2021) implemented in March 2022, Level 2 assisted driving clearly requires the driver to participate in driving supervision throughout the process. Zhu Xichan, a professor at the School of Automotive Engineering at Tongji University and the director of the Institute of Automotive Safety Technology, previously pointed out in an interview with the reporter, “At the L2+ level, the driver cannot take their hands off the steering wheel for more than 15 seconds. Once an accident occurs, the user needs to bear the responsibility themselves.”
In addition, from the perspective of consumer rights protection, there are also difficulties in safeguarding rights for this kind of modification. Although the merchant promises to “replace it with a new one if there is a problem,” once a major accident or vehicle damage occurs, it is difficult for consumers to prove that the problem is caused by the modification.
Mr. Wang (a pseudonym), a car owner who bought such a module, told the reporter, “Half a month after installing the module, my vehicle's system crashed twice. At its worst, it couldn't even start at all. After Tesla's official after - sales inspection, it was clearly pointed out that the fault was caused by a system conflict triggered by the 'AP No - Disturbance Module,' and they issued a repair bill of up to 4,000 yuan.”
When he tried to contact the modification merchant for compensation, the merchant refused to take responsibility on the grounds that “it cannot be confirmed that it is a problem with the module.”
The reporter noticed that currently, some e - commerce platforms have removed the relevant illegal products. However, the reporter's test found that by simply changing the keywords, such as “Tesla Assisted Driving Cracking,” similar products can still be easily found.
3. Tesla Official: FSD Has Started to Be Rolled Out in an Ordered Manner in China
Although these modified products use “low - cost alternative to FSD” as a selling point to attract many consumers, in fact, their impact on the promotion of Tesla's FSD in China is relatively limited. On the one hand, there are obvious functional limitations and risks in the modification market; on the other hand, the modifications can only simulate basic functions such as lane keeping and cannot achieve real assisted driving.
In fact, the core obstacle to the promotion of Tesla's FSD in China does not come from the modification market but from deeper technological and policy challenges. At the technological level, Tesla's pure vision solution performs poorly in China's complex road environment.
Previously, Zhou Guang, the CEO of DeepRoute.ai, said in an interview with the reporter that the changes in Tesla's FSD V13 version are significant, but the comparison of intelligent driving should not only stay in static scenarios (such as navigation functions) but should pay more attention to dynamic scenarios. Zhou Guang pointed out that after FSD enters the Chinese market, it still needs to collect and train data for these scenarios. Therefore, it will take some time for FSD to reach a user - friendly state in the Chinese market.
At the policy level, the approval process for FSD is full of uncertainties. Since its official launch in February 2025, its name has been successively adjusted from the initial “Full Self - Driving Capability” to “FSD Intelligent Assisted Driving Function” and now to “Intelligent Assisted Driving System.” In terms of function promotion, Tesla launched the Urban Autopilot function on February 25 and started a limited - time FSD experience activity on March 17, but suspended the activity only one week later. Some people believe that this adjustment is closely related to the regulatory authorities' strengthening of the management of intelligent connected vehicles.
At the end of February this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the Management and Technical Guidelines for the Access, Recall, and Over - the - Air Software Updates of Intelligent Connected Vehicle Products, putting forward stricter requirements for OTA upgrade management, test verification processes, system safety boundaries, etc. According to Tesla's official response, it is currently cooperating to complete the approval process for the software corresponding to HW3.0/4.0 and will promote the function rollout as soon as possible.
More importantly, the rapid rise of Chinese domestic automakers in the field of intelligent driving has formed strong competition with Tesla. These localized solutions are rapidly eroding Tesla's market share. “Previously, we were worried that after Tesla's FSD entered the market, it would cause a big stir. But now with DeepSeek, this risk has been reduced,” said Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the vice chairman of the China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum, at the media communication meeting of the China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum in February this year.
However, the implementation process of Tesla's FSD function in China is accelerating. On June 30, Tesla officially posted, “The only robot car you can buy. 'FSD Supervised' can take you anywhere in the United States, Canada, China, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.”