Tesla Dashcam Not Working (10 Quick Fixes)

It’s amazing for you how your Tesla allows you to capture and save what is happening in front of and behind your vehicle through built-in cameras. 

If you are a Tesla owner you frequently use Tesla Dashcam. But what happens if your Dashcam starts working improperly or stops working at all? That would be extremely terrible for you.

Do not worry if you are one of the people who are facing a Dashcam error. You may find out how to solve this issue quickly and easily by using decent assistance in this article.

Let’s Get Started…!!!

How To Fix Tesla Dash Cam Not Working?

In most cases, the reason for your Tesla Dash Cam not working is the USB issue and insufficient space. You just have to restart your Tesla vehicle and carefully check if there is any system error. The least you can do is to update the software to the latest version to avoid bugs and errors.

To delve deeper into this issue, please continue reading…

1. Replug the USB Drive

The most common cause of your Tesla dashcam is not working because your Tesla fails to detect your USB Drive. It can be due to some temporary errors or your drive has been loosened during an off-road trip.

Solution

Sometimes you can fix this problem by just replugging the USB Drive. You can easily access and replug your Tesla USB Drive by following these simple steps:

• Go to your Tesla touchscreen. 
• From here open the glovebox. 

• Once the glovebox is opened, you’ll see a USB Drive on the upper left side in the glovebox.
• Now just remove the USB Drive from the port.
• Wait for at least 30 – 60 seconds. 
• Then plug it back in.

This will fix the temporary error and your dashcam start working.

2. Check the type of USB Drive

If your Tesla Dash Cam is facing an issue the first thing you can do is to check the type of USB drive you are using. You must know that the common driving recorders that require additional USB to save your data also experience the USB issue, not just your Tesla vehicle. 

Solution

To fix the problem you should use the accurate USB type. You have to replace your present USB memory stick with one that can handle the data demands made by your Tesla Dashcam and Sentry Mode.

You need to utilize a USB 3.0 drive having a minimum storage capacity of 64 GB and a minimum speed of 4 MB/s to make your dash cam work properly. 

To check whether your USB is compatible with your Tesla vehicle or not you can test your USB drive’s speed. If there is an issue you need to use another USB drive.

I advise you to select a high-endurance type of memory card or USB Drive. You should try to buy a memory card or USB Drive from a reputable company.

For instance, you can use the SanDisk or Samsung High Endurance range of memory cards that are specific to your Tesla Dash Cam recordings. Avoid buying memory cards from a third party to lessen the damage.

3. Free up the memory

Through the display screen of your vehicle, the Tesla Dash Cam operates to capture every incident. After some time, the memory in your USB drive can fill up all the available space leaving no space for new videos to be saved.

In such a situation, the dashcam won’t function if there isn’t enough room for new files to be saved. Even though your USB drive is full Tesla Dashcam will keep recording but won’t be able to store anything. 

Solution

You have to make room for the new data to make your Tesla’s Dash Cam work properly. To do this, you must delete the old files because your old files won’t be deleted automatically. You will need to do it by yourself.

You can easily do this by just following these steps.

• Remove your Dashcam USB or SSD card from your Tesla.
• Now connect it to your computer simply.
• Now open the Dashcam folder and select the files you want to delete.
• You will two see folders there “Saved Clips” and “RecentClips”
• You will need to delete data from both.
• After deleting data just insert your USB or SSD card back in your Tesla.

I recommend you delete more data from the saved clip folder because it contains more previous data than the recent clip folder. 

You can also delete these clips by these steps;

• Go to the Quick Controls option.
• Click on the Safety option.
• After that, you have to find the Dash Cam option by scrolling down.
• There is an option named “Delete Dashcam Clips”. Click the option to quickly wipe up the drive.
• Check the dashcam’s functionality next.

Do not forget to delete FSCK files. These files can gather with time and can occupy all the space of your USB leaving no space for your Dashcam recording to be saved.

Which can cause your Tesla’s Dash Cam not to work properly. These are the corrupted and useless files that are created when you turn off your Tesla or remove the USB  Drive while your Tesla Dash Cam is actively recording.

Like other files, these files are not saved inside the “TeslaCam” folder. These files are saved on the root of the USB Drive with the character FSCK in their name. You have to delete these files frequently.

4. Split the Tesla Dash Cam USB into two portions

If you are using a USB Drive for music and the dash cam, you need to know that your Tesla needs some specific space for the Dash Cam in the USB Drive or else you have to use two USB Drives. One for music and the other for dash cam.

But I know that it will be very annoying to use two separate USB drives for music and dash cam. Whenever you need to unplug any USB, you won’t know which one is for music or dash cam. Besides that, there will be no port left for you to charge your phone.

Solution

You can easily fix these problems by splitting your TeslaCam USB into two portions. It will allow you to use one USB for both music and the dash cam.

For this purpose, you will have to delete the original portion on your USB first then you will create two portions on your USB.

You can easily split your USB using a built-in window tool by following these steps.

• Remove the USB from your Tesla and connect it to your computer.
• Press “Windows + R” to open the Run window.
• Now type “diskmgmt.msc” and click OK. This will launch Disk Management.
• Just right-click the partition and choose Delete Volume.
• Now, click OK in the confirmation window.
• Now, right-click the unallocated space and choose New Simple Volume.
• Now set the size and drive letter for the new partition, and select FAT32 file system
• Give a volume label of TESLACAM.
• Don’t forget to check Perform a quick format option.
• Repeat the same operations to create another partition and give it a label of Music.
• Open the TESLACAM partition and create a folder TeslaCam.

Without this folder, your Tesla Dashcam won’t write data to your USB. now you can copy your music into the music portion and insert your USB into your Tesla back.

5. Enlarge the portion of the Tesla Dash Cam in your USB

If there are two portions of your USB, one for the dash cam and the other for Music or some other stuff cleaning the dash cam data does not free up enough space for your Dash Cam to work properly.

You can enlarge the portion of the Tesla Dash Cam in your USB drive to make your Dash Cam work. You can easily enlarge it by reducing the other portion. 

Solution

You can easily enlarge your USB’s Das Cam portion by using a third-party tool named “MiniTool Partition Wizard”. You need this third-party tool because Disk Management doesn’t support shrink FAT32 drives.

MiniTool Partition Wizard is a professional and easy-to-use tool to manage or Extend a portion of your Tesla Dash Cam.

You can do this by following these steps;

• Connect the TeslaCam USB to your computer.
• Install MiniTool Partition Wizard and launch it to get the main interface.
• Select the TeslaCam partition and choose Extend Partition from the left pane.
• Or you can right-click the partition and choose Extend from the context menu.
• Drag the sliding handle leftwards or rightwards to decide how much space to take.
• Then, click OK.
• Click the Apply button to confirm the pending operation.

6. Formate Tesla Dash Cam USB to FAT32

Formatting your TeslaCam USB drive is very important. Because your Tesla only supports the FAT32 file system. FAT32 is the standard file system for Dash Cam.

So in case your Dash Cam is not working after buying a new USB, you need to check the file system and ensure that your USB is FAT32 formatted. 

Solution

To check the file system of your Tesla DashCam USB drive, follow these steps;

• Connect the USB to your computer and open File Explorer.
• Right-click the USB drive and choose Properties.
• A window will open on which there will be a written file system.
• You will have to make sure that it is FAT32.

If it is not formatted, you can easily reformat it. I recommend you reformat your USB even if it is already formatted FAT32. Because sometimes reformatting can resolve your issue.

Follow these steps to reformat using disk management,

• Connect the USB to your PC
• Open Disk Management by typing diskmgmt.msc in the Run dialog by pressing Window + R.
• Now click OK.
• Now Right-click the TeslaCam drive and select Format.
• Choose the FAT32 file system.
• Then check the Perform a quick format option and click OK.

You can also use MiniTool Partition Wizard to reformat your USB Drive if it is not formatted by disk management. It is because the disk management of your window can’t format your USB drive if it is larger than 32 GB.

To reformat your USB using this third-party tool follow these steps.

• Launch the MiniTool application and get to the main interface.
• Select the TeslaCam partition and choose Format Partition from the left pane
• Or you can right-click the partition and click on Format in the menu.
• Open the list of File systems and choose FAT32. Then, click the OK button.
• After coming back to the main interface, click the Apply button to perform the change.

7. Update your Tesla Software

Outdated software can also cause this issue. The reason behind this is there could be a fix or an improvement in the dash cam of your Tesla. So to keep your Tesla up to date and enjoy its all and latest features, you need to keep your Tesla Software up to date.

Solution

Updating your Tesla is quite easy. Tesla has an over-air update feature in which your Tesla automatically updates its software but sometimes it fails to.

You can easily update your Tesla software by following these easy steps,

• Ensure that your Tesla is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network.
• Tap on the “controls” icon and scroll down and select “software“.
• Tap on “software update” to check for available updates.
• Tap on “Install now” or “Download and install” if any.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with the installation.
• After the update is installed your Tesla will automatically reboot.

8. Remove the glitches and bugs

Glitches and bugs can also cause this issue in your Tesla. There are many reasons why glitches and bugs may enter your Tesla. Bugs and glitches can enter your Tesla due to the connection of a third-party app or device and sometimes it can enter with the update.

Solution

To remove these bugs and glitches you first need to remove the third-party apps or devices if you have any in your Tesla’s touchscreen.

You can remove these glitches bugs and errors by a soft reset. You can easily perform a soft reset by just following these steps,

• Ensure that you are car is parked and turned off.
• Press and hold the buttons located on the left and right sides of the steering.
• Wait for the reset to complete.
• The Tesla logo will appear on the touchscreen when the reset is completed.

Rebooting your Tesla infotainment system can also fix temporary errors which can lead to this problem.

By following these steps you can easily reboot your Tesla,

• Go to your touchscreen.
• Set the Tesla in Park mode.
• Click on Controls
• Now on Safety & Security.
• Now on Power Off.
• You’ll find 2 options: Cancel and Power Off. Click on the Power Off
• Wait for around 2 minutes. During this period, do not touch any part or open the door.
• When the A/C, lights, and other parts turn on, it means the rebooting has been completed.

A hard reset is a solution if the above-mentioned solutions fail to remove glitches, bugs, or errors. But you need to remember that performing a hard reset will remove all the data and information that you have provided to your Tesla.

Your Tesla infotainment system will start as a new one starts. Following these steps will help you perform the hard reset,

• Ensure that your Tesla is parked, and the vehicle is turned off.
• Open the front trunk and locate the 12V battery.
• Disconnect the Negative Terminal from the battery.
• Leave the negative terminal disconnected for at least 5 to 10 minutes.
• Reconnect the Negative Terminal and Turn on your Tesla.

9. Faulty Dash Cam

A faulty Dash Cam can also cause your Tesla’s Dash Cam not to work properly. Your dash cam can become faulty for many reasons. Loose or damaged wiring and a faulty cam itself could be the reasons for your problem.

Solution

To fix this issue, you will need to check the wiring and dash cam. If you suspect that the problem is with the wiring or dash cam, you will need to fix it.

If you have the proper tools and knowledge and you are comfortable, you can inspect the dash cam and wiring yourself.

If you find out any loose wire reconnect it tightly. If you suspect black spots on wires or on the dash cam, you will need to repair or replace them.

If you are uncomfortable, you must take your Tesla to the nearest dealership. Professional technicians will inspect your dash cam and will repair it or replace it with a new one.

10. Contact Tesla customer support

If you have tried all the solutions explained above in this article but you are still facing the issue with your Tesla dashcam, you will need to contact Tesla customer support. Professional technicians will inspect your Tesla and provide you with the best solution to fix your problem.

Recommendations for the Future

To capture and save different movements while you are driving, your Tesla Dashcam is a useful tool. But it might stop working at a time when you need it the most. 

You should follow the following points to prevent this problem from happening in the future:

1. Do not use the USB drive that is already full with date.
2. You should format and then restart your USB drive if you feel that it is a necessary step to be done.
3. Delete the data from your USB after a few days…
4. Regularly inspect and clean your vehicle for any damage.

Final Thoughts

Up till now, I have intricate with you the reasons behind your Tesla Dashcam’s improper function with some solutions. You can find the solutions in the below-stated points:

1. Replug the USB drive
2. Check the type of your USB
3. Free up the memory of your USB
4. Split Tesla DashCam into two portions
5. Enlarge the Tesla DashCam portion
6. Format your USB to FAT32
7. Update your Tesla’s firmware
8. Perform a soft reset
9. Reboot your Tesla
10. Perform a hard reset
11. Check your DashCam for faults and loose connections.
12. Connect Tesla customer support

If you have any information related to the subject do not hesitate as the floor is open for you to share your opinion. We would love to hear from your side.

How can I use my Tesla Dashcam?

Before using your Tesla Dashcam, you have to format the USB drive to FAT32 and create a folder inside called TeslaCam. 

Plug the USB drive into your vehicle after seeing a camera symbol with a red dot on the screen. Your Tesla Dashcam should then begin to function properly.

Can I use any type of USB Drive with my Tesla Dashcam?

No, you should use a compatible USB drive that is specially made for your Tesla vehicle. The best option is to use a USB device with suitable storage space and the FAT32 file system.

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