Tesla quietly restores feature to China's Model 3 that will solve years of customer complaints

The Tesla Model 3 has been many things over the years: groundbreaking, divisive, and occasionally baffling.

In 2023, the refreshed Model 3 Highland arrived with sleeker looks and upgraded tech, but also with the controversial removal of the humble turn signal stalk.

Instead, Tesla forced drivers to poke steering wheel buttons, a decision that quickly split opinions among owners.

Now, after nearly two years of feedback (and plenty of grumbling), Tesla is quietly bringing the stalk back—at least for customers in China.

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It will cost you $350 to get the turn signal stalk back

According to Tesla’s official configurator in China, the turn signal stalk is now standard across all Model 3 trims.

For those who already own a stalk-less Highland, relief is also on the way.

Beginning in mid-September, Tesla will launch a factory-backed retrofit called the ‘Model 3 Steering Wheel Turn Signal Lever Modification’.

Priced at 2,499 yuan (around $349), customers in China can get the upgrade installed at Tesla Service Centers.

It comes complete with a new steering wheel design and, importantly, the removal of those unloved signal buttons.

If the new stalk looks familiar, that’s because it is.

Tesla has borrowed the design from the updated Model Y Juniper, making it slimmer and more streamlined than the old pre-facelift Model 3 version.

To soften the blow of the retrofit cost, Tesla plans to recycle components returned by customers, which Tesla described as an environmentally-friendly move.

It only works on certain Tesla Model 3 vehicles

Unfortunately, all good things come with a catch.

At launch, the retrofit only works on Tesla Model 3 Highland vehicles produced after February 7, 2025.

Tesla says wider compatibility is coming, but for now, early Highland adopters will need to keep tapping buttons just a little longer.

Given the Model 3’s global popularity, it seems inevitable that Tesla will roll out the option to other regions, though no official timeline has been given for Europe or North America.

It turns out that even Tesla, with all its futuristic ambitions, couldn’t innovate muscle memory.

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