Adding an Indicator Stalk to Tesla Model 3 Highland - A retrofit guide

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Quick Specs:

• Cost: £142 delivered (AliExpress)
• Install Time: ~45 minutes
• Difficulty: Medium (requires basic tools and patience)
• Tools Needed: All included in kit
• Reversible: Yes
• Warranty Impact: Potentially yes (third-party modification) but unlikely

Introduction

No matter what you think of their CEO, Tesla make some bloody great cars and driving them is really enjoyable. The instant torque and massive power delivery at the touch of the accelerator pedal just makes me smile!

Being a past petrol-head, I have spent thousands modifying my cars to make them go fast and also repair them too. I have forgotten the amount of times I would be lying underneath a freezing cold car with oil dripping on my head all while having the uncomfortable reality of knowing that my underpants are slowly soaking up the rain and other fluids I'm lying in. This does not happen when you own an electric car with its seven moving parts that just needs minimal servicing.

However, in January 2026 exactly one year since I took delivery of my Tesla Model 3 Highland my patience snapped. Who on earth on the design team decided to remove the indicator and wiper stalks??? Teslas are like Marmite anyway, you either love them or hate them but the amount of new highland owners who just accept that "no indicators are just cool" - absolutely astounds me!

Around where I live, there are a lot of mini-roundabouts which reverses the orientation of the switches as you navigate round them. What other road users must think when they see my indicators flashing randomly left and right...

Stalks

After a few years of Highland model availability, Tesla caved-in and started to re-introduce the indicator stalk back on their 2026 cars. The Model Y Juniper in fact, is only available with an indicator stalk (the right-hand gear selector is still Missing In Action). If you open your Tesla app for the price of £600 (UK GBP) you can order your own - although at the moment they have been constantly out of stock. Additionally, it must be fitted by Tesla.

So... I was randomly browsing Aliexpress and I saw that a company was advertising a retrofit stalk kit. All in all, £142 Great British Pounds delivered to my door. There are a number of aftermarket products available, namely from SexyStalks but these are bluetooth wireless types (correct me if I'm wrong)

Unpacking

The kit of parts comes with everything you need to do the install; it even includes a Torx ratchet screwdriver to mount the stalk to the steering column.

The instructions are a little lame and just contain screenshots of the YouTube video that describes the process on a left-hand drive car.

Item looks really good, has an OEM feel and installs as easily as the instructions video, even easier on a 2024 right-hand drive Tesla Model 3 Highland here in the UK. It was ordered 10th December 2025 and arrived 30th December 2025, tax was paid on ordering and there was nothing to pay on delivery.

The turn signals and drive select levers work great with very little delay - These stalks connect to the CANBUS beneath the right-hand door's trim. As commented earlier, the stalks have an OEM fit and finish - they even have a high "Wife Acceptance Factor".

The Install

Wiring wise, there is no difference with left-hand and right-hand drive Teslas.You need to remove the trim from the right-hand door pillar using the tool supplied to gain access to the CANBUS connectors, more on that later. Removing the trim is relatively easy as metal clips are used that don't appear to shatter and break when you remove them.

Remove the right dashboard end cover (you'll have to make room by peeling back the door seal)

Once removed, use your pry-tool to flip this fixing knob out

Pry apart the clips on the lower dashboard cover to allow access

You don't really need to but power-off the car

Next, unpack the included wiring loom to get its orientation

You will see the OBD-II CANBUS connectors fixed to the door pillar. One needs removing and the inline link loom fitted in its place. It's obvious when you see it, all connectors can only go in one place

Next, remove the upper control shroud by twisting the pry tool gently in the bottom shroud

To give you some more room, extend and lower the steering column from the main screen

Tidy up the connectors, then you need to route the very thin cable that's left up to the steering column.

To help with this straighten out the plastic "fish-tool" and push it down the right of the steering column

Feel for the end appearing within the footwell and use a few wraps of insulation tape to secure the small connector on the fly lead

Carefully pull the plastic fish-tool back up the steering column using your spare hand to guide the connector up.

Once pulled through, secure the tiny top connector so that it doesn't drop back down. If it does drop down, don't worry but it'll just need drawing through again.

Using the supplied Torx bit on the ratchet, remove the centre screw and (from looking at the back) the left hand torx screw

Access is a little tight but doable. At least you don't have to take off the steering wheel

Next step is to fit the new control stalks. Take a little care here and take your time. Pull off the rubber covers protecting the bottom clips, then place the unit on top. You need to concentrate on the front of the assembly, making sure it clears the steering wheel but fit snug onto the bottom, fixed cover. There are two screws partially fitted to the new assembly, these are going to be screwed into the place where the two screws you removed earlier came from.

Do not overtighten these screws! They are being screwed into a plastic housing; with some careful jiggling, you will feel when the assembly has aligned correctly.

You can test your stalks anytime after you have connected the tiny cable up. I found it absolutely weird the first time I used it.

Don't forget to put everything back together and zip tie the cables and/or use a bit of rubber foam - you don't need an annoying rattle!

Finally, oooo look a Tesla with proper stalks, just like any other car!

Final Thoughts

First of all, apologies to the people who are wondering why the steering wheel is on the correct side of the car :-)

Minor gripe, the stalk unit is not perfectly secure and twists around by maybe 5 degrees of spin when trying to use the stalks. To fix this, the steering wheel clamp will need to be tightened, but this requires the steering wheel to be removed; this is to gain access to the lower shroud. Not a game changer but an annoyance.

Operation of the device is nearly perfect, except there is a bug in the firmware that needs a new firmware upload to be fixed. If you attempt to push the left stalk forward to turn on the high-beam, the headlights will flicker and flash. I wonder if this supplier will be able to supply me with a fixed firmware file I can upload? They have already been in contact with me.

Where can I get one?

It's amazing but now that I have got one of these (I suppose I now know what to look for), there are a couple of companies selling them.

When buying from Aliexpress, I would recommend choosing companies that will ship to you at a reasonable cost (i.e. a few pounds/dollars/euros). Just add their product to your shopping cart and shipping will be added. At this point you can decide whether to bail or not. Also look at product feedback too.

For information here is the product I bought : Catronics For Tesla Model 3 Highland Turning Stalks Shift Lever Gear Shifter Lever Signal Wiper Handle Shift Lever Indicator kit

If shopping on Aliexpress doesn't float your boat, have a look at these.

The most prominent name is EV Offer