Mcu (center screen) failed in my 2013 model s. I returned to the car after it was parked all day in an outdoor parking lot at work and it would not turn on. Rebooting, other troubleshooting did not remedy. As a result of mcu failure, turn signals did not work (exterior turn signals and audible indication of turn signals), air suspension could not be adjusted, climate control could not be adjusted, headlights could not be manually controlled, steering settings could not be adjusted, charge level could not be adjusted, media/entertainment could not be used, backup camera could not be viewed in addition to other functionality for the car. Leading up to the complete failure of the unit, the mcu would occasionally reboot itself during driving causing loss of turn signals and change in steering dynamics.
2013 Tesla Model S lights complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 15 of 15, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The center media touchscreen (mcu) in my vehicle stopped functioning and several functions ceased working. Initially I received a "touchscreen unresponsive" message while driving so when I stopped at a stoplight I attempted to reboot the mcu using the steering wheel controls. The screen started the reboot process but everything that was on including HVAC and radio turned off for the remainder of my drive and were inoperable until after the screen was replaced. The touchscreen never turned back on. Many functions did not work when the mcu died with the oddest one of all being that I had no turn signal sounds which I think are created by the cars audio system and the mcu. With the loss of the mcu, I lost the use of my backup camera and my HVAC which was stuck in an off state so I had to roll down my windows in order to have any airflow in the cabin. Thankfully I did not need the forward or rear defroster between when my screen stopped working and it was replaced as both are controlled via the mcu and were unavailable. Charging at home was extremely limited and maxed out at very low amperage and I was unable to change the charging amperage due to the inaccessible touchscreen. I did not try a dc fast charger. Mobile app control was unavailable so I was not able to use it to adjust my HVAC or charging settings. The controls for adjusting the active air suspension were also not available however the car appeared to set itself to a normal ride height. No steering wheel controls (HVAC, radio, sunroof, voice commands) worked and my headlights were stuck in auto mode that was the second mcu in my car, previously being replaced about 14 months earlier due to the screen adhesive failing which caused air bubbles to form within the touchscreen. I think the cause of the mcu failure was emmc flash reaching its maximum write lifetime despite the prior replacement.
The main touchscreen on my 2012 tesla s has stopped working completely- totally blank, resulting in no rearward facing camera, lower charging rates, no control over suspension height or steering stiffness; no A/C, no heat, no sunroof controls, no wifi, no bluetooth and no cellular; no map, no GPS. No radio.
Tesla main computer is designed to fail and disable the ability to turn on the headlights, turn signals, rear view camera, and so on. The main computer logs everything happening in the car excessively (they do this so press reviews can be refuted, it has happened many times) but that logging causes the chip to fail. The solution is to turn off logging but they refuse, so these computers fail predictably on schedule. All teslas are affected.
Tesla model s. Has problems that with little or no notice the car can quit, leaving the car and occupants stranded dangerously in heavy traffic, sometimes with no lights. Allegedly the traction battery, drive unit, contactor, inverter, converter and/or 12 v accessory battery can suddenly fail causing the tesla to quit with little or no warning, then coasting to a stop. Allegedly in some cases after the vehicle comes to a stop the 12 v battery and systems will quickly fail, preventing parking lights and hazard lights from being used and preventing the parking brake from being released and preventing the engagement of tow mode thus preventing the vehicle from being pushed or coasted out of dangerous traffic to a safer location. Not being able to engage tow mode, it makes towing the vehicle more difficult, time-consuming and risky.
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