Tesla owners are getting more than they bargained for from the company’s Halloween update. One driver tried to scare her elderly father with the new features, but the prank failed. Days later, the car got its revenge when she least expected it.
The owner was walking through her dark garage when a bird startled her. Still trying to find the stairs, she heard a loud, creepy voice from her Tesla. The second scare sent her stumbling up the steps.
Tesla began rolling out its Halloween features in early October 2026, giving compatible vehicles spooky sounds, ghost-themed screens, and special effects. The idea was to bring some holiday fun to the cars, but the surprises have caught several owners off guard.
Across Reddit, drivers have shared stories of frightening themselves, their families, and even strangers. With the holiday now over, some are still enjoying the tricks their cars can play.
Twice the Terror
OMG I Shrieked… Twice!
by
u/Emotional-Tear-2369 in
TeslaModelY
The Model Y owner shared the garage encounter in a Reddit post titled “OMG I Shrieked… Twice!”
After turning on the feature, she expected it might surprise someone the following day. Her earlier attempt to frighten her father hadn’t worked, so she wasn’t sure anything would happen.
Later, while talking on the phone, she got out of the car in her dark garage. A bird startled her as she walked behind the Tesla, causing the first scream.
Then came the second surprise. As she felt her way toward the stairs, the car suddenly played its frightening voice.
She screamed again and tripped while climbing the steps.
“No more frights!” she wrote.
Other owners recognized the experience. One parent said their Tesla let out a huge growl during daycare pickup, startling people nearby. Another reported that the car screamed at a family walking through a Publix parking lot.
Fortunately, that family laughed. A young boy even smiled and asked, “Tesla?”
A Laugh From Nowhere
Parked cars weren’t the only source of unexpected scares.
Another driver described a different experience in the Tesla Model 3 subreddit.
The owner enjoyed seeing the car dressed as a ghost on the screen. What they didn’t enjoy was hearing a creepy woman’s laugh while driving.
According to the post, the laughter seemed to appear without warning, interrupting otherwise peaceful trips.
Some commenters reported similar surprises after arriving home from work, and others said they heard the spooky sounds only while parked.
Tricks With a Catch
Tesla’s 2026.38.5.1 release notes describe several Halloween features.
Ghost Costume changes how the car appears on its display. Trick or Treat Mode, meanwhile, plays frightening sounds and flashes the lights when someone approaches a parked vehicle.
The update also includes a Halloween light show and themed photo effects on supported vehicles.
There is a catch. According to Not a Tesla App, enabling Trick or Treat disables Sentry Mode, the security alarm, and automatic walk-away locking. Owners who use it lose those protections while the feature is active.
One Last Victim
At least one owner found someone else to frighten.
In a Reddit video, a Tesla owner used the car’s scary voice to surprise a solicitor visiting their home.
The visitor responded with a joke that amused people watching the clip. One commenter even said the response was clever enough to make them answer the door.
The owner missed the reaction at first because they couldn’t hear the visitor through the Tesla app. It wasn’t until they reviewed the camera footage that they caught what he said.