Tesla Rolls Out FSD v14.3.9 and v14.2 Lite — Automatic Collision Evasion Is HW4 Only

Tesla has started pushing a two-track Full Self-Driving rollout, and for once the split is easy to follow. Release notes for software update 2026.27.6 show Tesla deploying FSD (Supervised) v14.3.9 to newer cars while Hardware 3 vehicles get a fresh FSD v14.2 Lite build. The headline feature — Automatic Collision Evasion — is riding along with v14.3.9 only, and it's locked to Hardware 4 cars.

What's actually new

Automatic Collision Evasion is the first genuinely new capability in this release. It was spotted in Tesla's owner's manual last week, and Tesla has now confirmed it ships with FSD v14.3.9. The concept is straightforward: if you're driving manually and the car concludes a crash is coming that you can't easily avoid, it hands control to FSD and takes evasive action for you.

That's a meaningful shift. Up to now, FSD features only did anything when you engaged them. This one steps in while you're the one steering.

The requirements are strict, though. Per the release notes, Automatic Collision Evasion needs:

• A Hardware 4 (HW4/AI4) FSD computer — HW3 cars are excluded entirely
• An active FSD purchase or subscription
• Automatic Emergency Braking enabled in vehicle settings
• FSD (Supervised) enabled in vehicle settings

The two situations it triggers in

Tesla defines two distinct scenarios where the system will grab the wheel while you're driving manually.

Imminent frontal collisions. On a controlled-access highway below 85 mph, if the car determines that braking alone won't prevent a crash with the vehicle ahead, it steers around the hazard — onto the shoulder or into an open lane. During the maneuver the accelerator pedal is muted, and the car actively resists being canceled by accident. Overriding it requires firm steering torque, not a nervous twitch.

Inattentive drivers. Between 22.5 mph and 85 mph on any road type, the car can take over if the cabin camera decides you aren't paying attention, or if it concludes FSD (Supervised) was switched off unintentionally.

Once the maneuver finishes, the car drops into a degraded autonomous state, chimes, and asks you to take back over. It's a backstop, not a chauffeur.

The cabin camera trigger is the detail worth sitting with: on HW4 cars with FSD enabled, your attention state is now an input that can change who's steering.

FSD v14.2 Lite: HW3 keeps moving

Older Hardware 3 cars get FSD v14.2 Lite instead — the second update to the Lite branch since July's build kicked off wider public release. Tesla's notes mention FSD improvements but don't detail the model changes underneath, so the real read will come from testers logging miles.

Early testers have flagged some visible UI tweaks, though. The on-screen Park pin and navigation destination pins now have a crisp white border, and the destination icon changes dynamically based on the Arrival Option you pick.

There's also a hardware-eligibility angle. Tesla AI lead Ashok Elluswamy confirmed this week that FSD v14 Lite is coming to Model S and Model X. Early access sightings so far are limited to Model 3 and Model Y, but wider waves could fold in the older flagships. And the "v14.2" naming suggests a v14.3 Lite could eventually follow.

Keep expectations grounded, though: v14 Lite is likely the end of the road for HW3 until Tesla starts offering upgrades to newer FSD computers.

What this means for EV owners

Three practical takeaways.

First, if you're on HW4 and you subscribe to FSD, check your settings. Automatic Collision Evasion silently depends on both Automatic Emergency Braking and FSD (Supervised) being toggled on. If you've disabled either one at some point, you don't have the feature — and you won't get a warning telling you that.

Second, the cabin camera matters more than it used to. Anything that pulls your eyes off the road for long stretches now has a second consequence. A phone rattling around the console is the classic culprit, which is why a proper cradle earns its keep — the 3-in-1 wireless charging organizer for Model 3 Highland and Model Y Juniper keeps your phone charged, visible, and out of your hands. Cybertruck owners running a dashcam drive can do the same tidying job with the 4-in-1 glove box USB hub with a dedicated dashcam port.

Third, every one of these toggles lives on the touchscreen. If you're digging through Autopilot settings to confirm your configuration, you're fingerprinting that display — and a 15.4" center console screen protector for Model 3 and Model Y is cheap insurance against smudges and scratches on the most expensive piece of glass in the cabin.

Shopping by fitment is the fastest route: browse the Model Y collection, the Model 3 collection, the Cybertruck collection, or narrow everything down in Shop by Vehicle.

The bottom line

FSD v14.3.9 is a point release with one real headline: Automatic Collision Evasion, gated behind HW4, an active FSD subscription, and two settings toggles. FSD v14.2 Lite is a quieter refinement pass that keeps HW3 cars moving forward, with Model S and Model X support confirmed as coming. The hardware divide in this release is the clearest Tesla has drawn yet — newer cars get active safety interventions, older cars get polish. Watch your Tesla app for 2026.27.6 as it expands past early access.