For Tesla Insurance policyholders, a single Forward Collision Warning (FCW) triggered by a parked car, a shadow, or an oddly shaped road can result in a sudden spike in monthly premiums.
For years, owners have asked for a way to appeal these false positives, but there has not been a way to do so. Up to this point, any data gathered by your vehicle was always held as the truth, even if it recorded something incorrectly or missed the context.
In the latest version of the Tesla App, v4.51.7, Tesla is finally building the infrastructure to do just that. New strings discovered in the app’s source code indicate that a Safety Score Dispute system is in development, allowing drivers to contest specific events that negatively impact their rating.
How the Feature Works
While the feature is still an undocumented change for now and not yet visible in the live UI, the backend code is explicit. Here are some of the key variables found in the code:
safety_score_dispute_a_trip
safety_score_reason_for_dispute
safety_score_supporting_documents
safety_score_dispute_history
safety_score_max_disputes_reached
These new phrases in the app suggest that Tesla is now testing the feature, and it basically outlines how the feature will work. There will be a structured process that allows users to select a specific trip that includes a negative event, such as an FCW or Hard Braking instance, and then select a reason for dispute. Users should be able to track the status of that claim while it is reviewed.
Notably, there is also a max_disputes_reached string, implying that there will be a cap on how many events you can contest - likely to prevent users from spamming the system for every minor ding to their score.
Why Now?
The timing of this discovery isn’t a coincidence. It aligns perfectly with the release of the Dashcam Telemetry features introduced in the 2025 Holiday Update.
Previously, any sort of dispute would be your word over the car’s sensors. But with the new Dashcam Telemetry, owners now have verifiable, hard data to support their claims.
If your car has an FCW on an empty road, you can now upload the Dashcam clip - complete with telemetry showing what happened - as supporting evidence.
Why This Matters
In all regions where Tesla Insurance operates, barring California, the Safety Score directly dictates the price of Tesla Insurance. A false positive isn’t just annoying; it has real financial implications for owners. Providing a path to recourse addresses one of the largest pain points with Tesla Insurance.
While Tesla Insurance is currently available in only a small subset of states, we expect Tesla to eventually expand its coverage to more regions.
