Tesla Updates the Camera Housing on the Model Y: Potential Off-Gassing Fix

@niccruzpatane

New images of recent Model Y builds show a change to the front camera housing assembly. The earlier design had an open bottom for the forward-facing cameras that allowed air exchange with the cabin; the new version uses a sealed forward camera assembly.

This updated housing appears nearly identical to the unit seen on Cybercab prototypes, suggesting Tesla is standardizing its sensor hardware architecture across the lineup in preparation for FSD Unsupervised and Robotaxi.

Off-Gassing and Glare

In recent years, owners have experienced a phenomenon called off-gassing, where plastics in the dashboard and camera housing release vapors over time that can become trapped inside a semi-sealed camera enclosure.

Those vapors can condense on the inside of the windshield glass in front of the cameras, forming a hazy, oily film. When sunlight strikes that film it produces blinding glare for the cameras, creating problems for FSD and Autopilot.

Over the last 12 months, Tesla has implemented a DIY forward camera cleaning procedure, a precision camera cleaning service offering, and prompts to either schedule service or clean your cameras.

While the procedure is somewhat straightforward, Tesla sometimes offers all owners a one-time free cleaning. After that, cleaning is a paid service at about $60 USD and is recommended as part of regular annual vehicle maintenance, on an as-required basis, just like replacing your wiper fluid.

The Solution: Better Sealing

The sealed-housing design appears to address the issue by changing how the camera modules are sealed to the glass. By using a sealed cutout that does not exchange air with the cabin, the glass is isolated from off-gassing and other vapor buildup inside the cabin.

The use of a similar design in the Cybercab and in newly built Model Ys indicates this may be the next iteration of Tesla’s hardware meant to reduce maintenance.

Keeping the Promise

This hardware tweak aligns with comments Elon Musk made last year. In September, Elon acknowledged the difficulty of keeping the front cameras clear and the finicky DIY procedure for removing the housing and cleaning the glass; he said simplifying the cleaning process was a major area of focus for the engineering team.

Observers will watch to see if this design change rolls out to the rest of the fleet and whether Tesla will offer it as a retrofit, either DIY or official.