Chinese Tesla drivers are using small plastic figurine heads to defeat the cabin camera that monitors attention during Autopilot and Full Self-Driving use. The devices, sold on e-commerce platforms for $20 to $50, are marketed as travel companions or dashboard decorations.
A Tesla Model 3 owner in China reportedly placed a figurine resembling Dwayne Johnson near the rearview mirror and drove for 30 minutes without triggering any safety alerts while eating sunflower seeds and filming video.
Tesla’s driver monitoring system relies on the cabin camera to track head position and eye movement. The plastic heads satisfy the system’s detection criteria when positioned to face forward.
This follows earlier attempts to defeat monitoring, including steering wheel weights that targeted the torque sensor. Tesla expanded monitoring to the cabin camera after regulators acted against some products.
Tesla launched FSD (Supervised) in China recently and faces a fraud lawsuit from 10 owners. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has identified 80 FSD traffic violations and upgraded its investigation to cover 3.2 million vehicles.