Tesla FSD adds new "Keep your hands ready to steer" warning

Tesla is refining how its vehicles prompt drivers during autonomous maneuvers, adding a new on-screen cue in recent software versions to ensure the person behind the wheel is ready to take over quickly.

The update displays a clear message on the touchscreen that reads, "Keep your hands ready to steer." The change was showcased by @realwhitakerb, who posted a video of the warning appearing within the FSD visualization. The prompt has been seen in FSD v14.2.2.4 and has also appeared in earlier v14.2 releases.

New FSD message Keep your hands ready to steer pic.twitter.com/As40TZXBmF
— Whit (@realwhitakerb) February 15, 2026

This adjustment aligns with broader work to advance the Tesla Vision-based driver assistance system. Because the system relies on cameras instead of radar or ultrasonic sensors, the vehicle continually interprets its surroundings and is improving at recognizing when human intervention may be necessary.

Recent updates suggest the attention required from the driver varies with road complexity. Warnings are more or less likely depending on context—for example, navigating an empty parking lot versus a crowded intersection with pedestrians. Under certain road and traffic conditions, some point releases have been observed to be fairly lenient, to the point where they might even allow a driver to text behind the wheel. This reflects the software’s effort to distinguish "safe" moments from higher-stakes situations.

The new prompt likely extends the more intelligent driver monitoring system introduced last fall. As the company moves toward unsupervised FSD, interface changes like this help bridge full automation and human supervision.

Scale also matters: as of Q4 2025, Tesla FSD has a user base of 1.1 million vehicles, meaning over a million drivers are training the neural network on every trip. With such a large cohort, small refinements to the "nag" or warning logic are important for upholding safety while advancing hardware capabilities.

Placing the notice directly within the driving visualization makes it harder to miss than a small icon off to the side, ensuring drivers remain engaged even as the software becomes more capable.

Have you seen the new "hands ready" prompt on recent drives, or have you noticed fewer interruptions?