Yes, Some Teslas Really Need A Jack Mode Just To Be Lifted, Here’s Why

Chances are, if you own a Tesla, it’s probably going to break down or require maintenance at some point and you’ll need to jack it up. If your car is equipped with air suspension, you really need to make sure it’s in Jack Mode before you raise it up off the ground, because the car’s suspension management computer will freak out. Without the car in jack mode, the suspension will try to self level to compensate for the wheels no longer touching the ground. This will over-inflate the air springs, potentially blowing out one or more airbags, causing permanent damage to your car, or maybe even yourself. These high-pressure blowouts can be serious, and a blown airbag could cost thousands to have replaced, so make sure you follow these steps to jack up your Cybertruck, Model X, or S.

Chances are you’ll already know if your vehicle is equipped with air suspension, but if you aren’t sure, just check the “suspension” menu of your car’s center screen. If you can raise and lower your vehicle with the push of a button, then it’s riding on air springs. If you’re in a Model 3 or Model Y, don’t bother looking, as Tesla didn’t see fit to equip those cars with air ride from the factory, despite originally engineering both to be capable of accepting air suspension. 

It’s pretty common for cars with air suspension to have a so-called jack mode, and it’s pretty common for the higher-trim Tesla vehicles to be equipped with air suspension. Before you even get out the floor jack or put your Tesla on a vehicle lift, make sure you dig into the menus, under service, and click the Jack Mode button. Once you have the vehicle in jack mode, you can line up your jack or lift arms and get it up into the air. Elon Musk once said he would build a Tesla that could fly, but you don’t even need rocket boosters to get your Tesla airborne.

Once in jack mode and up on the jack, you can do whatever work you need to get done. Did you buy a set of gaudy aftermarket wheels to install on your Model Y? Maybe you need to replace the battery pack? Perhaps there’s a critter trapped under a plastic underbody tray somewhere? Whenever you’ve accomplished what you came to do, you can get the car back on terra firma and pull the jack out. Before you drive away, make sure you unclick the Jack Mode button or the ride and handling dynamics of your Tesla will be even worse than they are normally. 

Good luck and happy wrenching!