2014 Tesla Model S: screen or infotainment failure

Filed Dec 17, 2025 · Electrical, Lights · OR

I am the current owner of a 2014 Tesla Model S equipped with MCU1. While driving, including at freeway speeds, the center touchscreen has rebooted unexpectedly, showing only the Tesla logo before recovering. During these reboots, critical vehicle functions are unavailable, including the rearview camera, HVAC/defrost controls, and other essential features. This failure matches the exact safety defect described in the federal safety agency Recall 21V‑035 related to the MCU/eMMC failure. I reported this safety issue to Tesla Service and provided photo evidence of the screen rebooting while driving. Tesla has refused to address this as a recall or safety repair. Tesla claims the recall was previously completed under a prior owner but refuses to provide any documentation proving that the recall repair was actually performed, citing prior owner privacy. Tesla has further stated that diagnosis of this active safety defect would be customer-paid due to the basic warranty being expired and has indicated that the only path forward is a paid infotainment upgrade. Tesla is effectively requiring payment to diagnose and resolve a known safety defect. As the safety defect is actively occurring while driving and Tesla has marked the recall as complete without providing proof or correcting the issue, I am requesting the federal safety agency review whether Tesla is improperly closing out recalls without ensuring the defect has been remedied and whether charging customers to diagnose known safety defects is appropriate. After entering my VIN into the federal safety agency’s recall lookup, the federal safety agency shows Recall 21V‑035 (MCU/eMMC failure) as Recall Incomplete for my vehicle. This directly contradicts Tesla’s claim that the recall was previously completed. Tesla has refused to provide documentation and is requiring paid diagnosis and a paid infotainment upgrade despite the recall being listed by the federal safety agency as unresolved.

Filed Oct 25, 2025 · Visibility · PR

The main touchscreen (MCU1) and instrument cluster on my 2014 Tesla Model S frequently freeze, reboot, or go blank while driving. When this happens, I lose access to defrost, turn signals, backup camera, and speed display. I contacted Tesla Service, but they refused to repair or replace the unit under recall EA20-003 or the extended warranty, even though the symptoms match the known eMMC 8GB memory failure. The black screen and frozen instrument cluster create a clear safety risk. Tesla should cover this issue under the recall or provide an equivalent MCU2 replacement if MCU1 parts are unavailable.

Filed Dec 16, 2022 · Acceleration, Electrical · CA

Instrument display is frozen at 0mph at 7:57am even while driving. Uploaded photo was taken at 9:19am as indicated on time stamp and on larger display at center of vehicle.

Filed Oct 13, 2022 · Electrical · 63,000 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2014 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that both infotainment screens located inside the vehicle would display blank images which rendered several electrical safety features inoperable. The contact had taken the vehicle to a service center on three occasions where they informed him that they are aware of the failure but could not repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and he was given the same information as the service center. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

Filed Feb 2, 2021 · Electrical · 91,000 miles · IL

 the vehicle's center display is malfunctioning in which we experience a persistent blank center display that does not recover after restarting the touchscreen, loss of certain functionalities occurs. I took it into the manufacturer they said that the "code" issue was fixed, but the problem persists.

Filed Jan 29, 2021 · Electrical · 11,500 miles · WA

My daughter was driving the car. The touch screen suddenly frozen during driving around 12:35 p.m. Dec. 28 2020. (the exact date could not remembered, but I have file with tesla on the day it happened). The wind shield got frog up very fast. I could not turn on defrost and almost have a collision due to poor visibility. I had to use paper to clean the moister of the wind shield and so the visibility was good enough for my daughter to drive the car back home safely.

Filed Jan 16, 2021 · Acceleration, Electrical · 86,000 miles · TX

Total loss of display in the middle console keeps going black, total loss of turn signals, suspension control, heater controls, de fog and de ice, no rear camera, no cruise control, high low beams,no ability to use fog lamps. Plus many more things too numerous to list. I took it to service dept and they did a temp fix for $150 but told me it will go out again and it did the very next morning. Something to do what's called the mcu memory failing. Its gone dark on several occasions many different dates. There is no way to know when it will do it again. Makes the vehicle in my estimation more likely to get into a crash

Filed Jan 16, 2021 · Electrical · TX

My touchscreen went out (all black) a year ago. The replacement was a refurbished one. It took two weeks. When I asked if it was improved, I was told it's the same but has a new two-year warrantee. Now a year later, it is starting to "act up" like the first. Add to that, the last three road trips with it each had something break on it or needed attention. Air conditioning compressor 800 miles from home in august 2019. Driver's door handle extending gear. And 12v battery, only to learn weeks later that it was "fixed" with a software upgrade. What good is an extended warrantee, if you breakdown on a trip? The car is unreliable. I'm going to get rid of it. Just add my complaint to the list of unhappy owners.

Filed Jan 14, 2021 · Electrical · 90,000 miles · FL

The touch screen freezes, blacks out, and becomes unresponsive. This is due to a well known issue with the mcu. Tesla has issued an extended warranty to 100,000 miles but my car has 106,000 miles so is ineligible and the repair is thousand of dollars. This issue started before the car had 100,000 miles but tesla didn't offer the repair until november, 2020 by which time the vehicle exceeded 100,000 miles. Without the touch screen most vehicle controls cannot be accessed which is a major safety issue. Issue started on 5/10/2019 and continue to occur almost daily.

Filed Nov 29, 2020 · Suspension · 148,787 miles · NY

I would like to provide information regarding 2 preliminary evaluations in 2020 that the federal safety agency has opened for a tesla vehicle. 1.the expanded probe june over touchscreen failures. 2.2015-2017 model s and 2016-2017 model x vehicles regarding failure of left or right front suspension fore links. I would like to point out that although the federal safety agency is used to dealing with "model year" vehicles, it is well known that tesla does not follow the calendar year models like over manufacturers. They introduce new features, fixes, modifications in real-time. I wanted to let you know this as your evaluations maybe should not be cut to the calendar year and possibly gain information on the time when tesla implemented a change to the production. I am including two invoices that I have had to pay this year and here are some concerns. 1. April2020 - mcu replacement. My replaced mcu is still exhibiting the same issues where I can have no rear camera, no blinking sound, extreme delays in the touchscreen, random reboots. I am currently providing evidence to tesla in order for them to fix under warranty. The onis is on me however it seems. Tesla's own recall for this issue has a limit of 8 years or 100,000 miles. This is not covering the fact that it is older vehicles that exhibit this issue. This is a defect which has been proven by independent post-tesla service personnel which I can provide you direction to review that info. My point here is please do not let them get away with providing a half-solved solution. The mcu in question is using non-commercial grade emm memory. 2. November2020 - failure of the left or right front suspension fore links. After a visit to a local service station, they mentioned there is a problem. Attached is the invoice from tesla replacing the fore links mentioned here. In summary, my car was made in the u.s. I hope you will hold tesla accountable.

Filed Nov 17, 2020 · 7,000 miles · CA

Suspect mmc chip is failing. Having intermittent black screen and rebooting with loss of rear camera function also loss of climate control. Contacted tesla who stated my symptoms do not warrant replacement or repair. The black screen and rebooting occurs when stationary and also while driving. Also losing bluetooth connectivity, and map function very slow to load. Navigation sometimes will not calculate route.

Filed Oct 26, 2020 · Electrical · 115,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 tesla model s. The contact's wife was driving on the highway when the media control unit display went blank. The vehicle was pulled over to side of the roadway. The contact went to the scene, retrieved the vehicle, and drove to the residence. The display screen independently returned to normal operation. The contact called tesla (135 us highway 22, springfield, nj 07081, (973) 921-0925) and the vehicle taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. After a week of testing, the contact was informed that the media control unit needed to be replaced at a cost of $3,500. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.