Tesla Features Named After Pop Culture — and Their Origins: Sentry Mod

Tesla often includes references to science fiction and pop culture inside its software rather than focusing only on conventional car features.

The in-car software can feel more like a large rolling smartphone, and many on-screen items are inside jokes. Below is a rundown of names Tesla has used for features and products that tie back to films, games, and other pop-culture sources.

Plaid and Ludicrous (Spaceballs)

The 1987 Mel Brooks film Spaceballs, a parody of Star Wars, inspired several Tesla names. In the movie the villainous Spaceball One has speeds called Light Speed, Ridiculous Speed, Ludicrous Speed, and finally "Going Plaid."

Tesla used those names for high-performance acceleration modes. Ludicrous Mode was the first big one, giving drivers a massive boost in 0-60 mph times. Later, Tesla released the Model S Plaid. In Spaceballs, when the ship hits Plaid speed the stars appear to form a plaid pattern because of the extreme velocity; Tesla added a "Plaid" animation that produces a similar light-streak effect when you floor the accelerator.

Not a Flamethrower

This product came from Musk’s Boring Company and became part of Tesla lore. In 2018, Musk offered 20,000 "flamethrowers" for sale to raise money for the tunnel project. Because shipping an item called a "flamethrower" posed legal and customs problems, the product was renamed "Not a Flamethrower."

Musk later told podcaster Joe Rogan, “We are told that various countries would ban shipping of it, that they would ban flamethrowers.” The device is essentially a large propane torch inside a plastic shell that resembles a sci-fi rifle, and the name became a community in-joke, described as an "if you know, you know" moment.

Joe Mode

Joe Mode is named after a Tesla owner. In 2019 a Tesla owner named Joe messaged Musk on Twitter (now X) asking for a way to reduce the car's beeps and chimes because children were sleeping in the back seat and the alerts would wake them.

Musk replied, “Hoping to get ‘Joe Mode’ into V10.” The feature was added shortly after. When you toggle Joe Mode on, it cuts the volume of non-critical system alerts by half, which is particularly helpful on long trips with sleeping passengers.

Sentry Mode (Rick and Morty / Portal)

Sentry Mode is the car's parked security system that uses the vehicle's cameras to record activity around the car. The feature's name is generic, but some of the voice-command phrasing and visuals are explicit pop-culture nods.

To enable it by voice you can say “Keep Tesla safe” or “Keep Summer safe.” Those lines are taken verbatim from the Rick and Morty episode "The Ricks Must Be Crazy," in which Rick instructs his ship's AI to protect Summer. If the car detects a threat, the display shows a glowing red "eye," a reference to the sentient turrets in the video game Portal.

Mad Max Mode

In the Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (FSD) settings there is an option for lane-change aggressiveness called Mad Max. Named for the post-apocalyptic Mad Max film franchise, the mode makes the car more assertive on highways.

Rather than waiting for large gaps, Mad Max mode allows the car to use smaller openings and change lanes more quickly to pass slower vehicles. It's effectively a more aggressive "commuter in a rush" behavior.

Mars Mode (SpaceX)

Activated from the Toybox, Mars Mode replaces the navigation map with a high-resolution rendering of the Martian surface and swaps the car's avatar for a Mars Rover.

The mode was recently updated to be more immersive. On newer models the cabin's ambient lighting shifts to a dusty orange and the climate control display shows red airflow to evoke Mars's atmosphere. It can also be enabled by tapping and holding the vehicle name in the software menu and entering the access code "Mars."

Santa Mode

Santa Mode transforms the car into a red sleigh pulled by reindeer. Saying the "Ho Ho Ho" voice command causes the car to play "Run, Rudolph, Run" by Chuck Berry. Saying "Ho Ho Ho, Not Funny" swaps the selection to "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."

On the Cybertruck the feature is reimagined: a Tesla Optimus robot appears as the sleigh driver, pedestrians on the screen become elves, and other cars turn into reindeer. If the vehicle has external speakers, the "Spread Cheer" option plays the holiday music externally.

Tron Mode (Tron: Ares)

Tron Mode, a Toybox addition made in collaboration with Disney for the film Tron: Ares, is more than a skin: it's a comprehensive change to the driving visualization. The car is shown as a Lightcycle that tilts into turns and leaves a glowing trail on screen.

The mode includes a custom startup sound and uses ambient lighting to convert the cabin into "The Grid." Unlike Santa Mode, where the music volume is fixed, the Tron music can be paused using standard media controls.

Monty Python Easter Egg

One easter egg references Monty Python: changing the vehicle's name to various Monty Python characters activates the effect. When triggered, the Foot of Cupid falls onto the screen.

Rainbow Road (Mario Kart & SNL)

If you pull the right stalk down four times quickly (or enable it through the Toy Box) while Autosteer is active, the gray road on the instrument cluster becomes a glowing Rainbow Road — a direct nod to the hardest level in Mario Kart.

As an extra joke, when this mode is active the car can play the "More Cowbell" skit from Saturday Night Live, turning a routine highway run into a nostalgic bit.

Tesla continues to add features and easter eggs through software updates, so additional hidden items may appear in the Toy Box menu.

Have you found another reference to pop culture that we didn't mention here? Let us know.