2016 Tesla Model S: screen or infotainment failure

Filed Jul 7, 2026 · CA

Instrument cluster and/or infotainment systems frequently freezing or not showing anything. Instrument cluster freezing/blackout This is a daily occurrence making it impossible to to know if you are in drive, reverse, or neutral. Additionally you not know how fast you are going, charge level, nor any status lights (airbag, low tire, etc.). Infotainment systems freezing/blackout This is also a daily occurrence shutting down environmental controls, backup cameras, speakers, charging, etc. While neither of these issues inhibit the operation of the vehicle both make driving a significant risk. I have taken it in for repair and the only option is a $1,500 upgrade to a completely new system.

Filed Apr 25, 2023 · MI

Tesla Model S touchscreen (MCU 1) continue to respond extremely slowly. Sometimes this means that the rear camera does not respond / turn on when the car is in reverse. Camera has been previously replaced under warranty. However, the issue remains. Have had several past appointments with various errors including black screen resets at random times and lack of responsiveness which impacts required safety features like the rear camera, but also convenience features such as climate control, radio, navigation, etc. Tesla continues to push for customers to pay for an upgrade to MCU 2. However, it seems that these safety features should work correctly in a consistent manner without the customer being required to pay.

Filed Jan 10, 2023 · Driver assistance, Lights · CO

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the center display screen went blank, causing the gear shifter, cameras, and defroster to become inoperable. The center display screen inadvertently rebooted shortly afterwards. The contact stated that the Tesla app confirmed that the EMMC was still operating and functioning as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed May 31, 2022 · MI

Tesla 17 inch touchscreen blacks out repeatedly and then cycles and turns back on. This is more common in hot environments after charging. Sometimes it happens more than 10 times in a short drive. Per a similar recall in newer 2021 vehicles this means the cars can lose rearview camera displays, settings that control windshield defrosters and indicators. I have had the eMMC replaced per the prior recall, but this issue continues to happen after multiple Tesla Service Center visits.

Filed Nov 22, 2021 · Electrical · CA

I was notified of this recall in March/2021 and Tesla says they have no time to fix it and they will schedule my appointment at some point. My Navigation and other key functions freeze frequently in busy metropolitan areas as well as rural and fails to keep up with notifications causing unsafe driving conditions. The remedy they suggested was to delete my driving navigation history to free up space which takes a ridiculous amount of time and only temporarily solves the problem. The recall notice is below. The Feb 06,2021 Manufacturer Recall NumberSB2121001 the federal safety agency Recall Number21V035 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete Summary The eMMC flash memory device is rated for an industry-standard 3,000 Program/Erase (“P/E”) cycles. Over time, and depending on usage of the affected component, the eMMC hardware exhausts cycles for each NAND cell. When the eMMC NAND cell hardware reaches lifetime wear, as measured by the number of P/E cycles and remaining available storage capacity, the eMMC controller will no longer be able to maintain the integrity of the filesystem. This wear-out condition can cause failures of the center display software components, and may indirectly cause loss of the rearview camera display, defrost/defog control settings, and exterior turn signal lighting.

Filed Nov 12, 2021 · Driver assistance, Lights · 38,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the center display inadvertently went blank and froze, causing the contact to have to restart the center display. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The contact received a recall notification for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the manufacturer had not returned his calls for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Aug 24, 2021 · Driver assistance, Lights · WI

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the display screen had gone completely blank without warning while driving. The contact was unable to use certain electrical features. The contact then received a recall notice for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). Despite multiple appointment being made to service the recall, the contact was informed that the parts remained unavailable. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Jun 14, 2021 · NJ

This model's Main Computer Unit (MCU) is malfunctioning by spontaneously rebooting thereby disabling major functions of the vehicle including the rear camera that is enabled when driving the car in reverse. This is a safety hazard since rear visibility is completely disabled during the reboot of the system. As the federal safety agency is likely aware, this problem has been previously reported and Tesla has previously issued a voluntary recall for this problem. It resolves the problem by installing a larger memory chip (a daughterboard) on the main board to prevent these functions from being disabled. My vehicle was included in this voluntary recall and was expedited to receive the recall after I reported this problem (the problem I reported is apparently different from the one that was the main impetus of the recall). However, the installation of the upgraded memory chip DID NOT resolve the problem that I have been experiencing and the safety hazard persists. I was told at the time of the voluntary recall service appointment that this installation would likely solve the problem that I was experiencing but it has not done so. I have reported these results to Tesla and they claim that they are working on a software update to eliminate the problem but they have not provided any timing for the availability of this software update and I continue to experience the effects of the problem on a regular basis. The dealer is aware of the problem and the vehicle was inspected in connection with the voluntary recall. No warming messages are provided in connection with this problem. The MCU also known as the touchscreen in the Tesla simply unexpectedly reboots until the the functions are restored, a process that takes several minutes to occur.

Filed May 29, 2021 · Electrical · CA

My Tesla regularly has the instrument panel and center display go completely black and turn off while driving. This includes not being able to adjust climate control, access rear view backup camera, use lane indicators and determine speed or status of autopilot and driving safety features. I have noted this to Tesla Service Center on 3 occasions and they refuse to provide thr necessary repair under the applicable recall notice 21V‑035.

Filed May 22, 2021 · Driver assistance, Visibility · CA

The multi-media screen when blank and would not reboot in Dec. 2020. It had gone blank before many times over the years (more than I think most cars) but always I was able to reboot the car/computer. I had complained a couple of times at the service center going back a few years and got advice to reboot. Lately it had been happening quite frequently. This time it would not work. I called Tesla and the rep asked if the turn signals worked and I confirmed that they did not. He indicated that this was a safety issue and I should not drive the car and schedule a repair asap. Meanwhile, I had already received a notice in the mail of a volunary repair that Telsa would do if the screen went out and woudl not rebooot. I was able to get an earlier appointment than the 2 week one that was offered by going into the Tesla service center (as they had advised I could try to do). I was later told that they would not voluntarily repair this for me and I would have to pay. It took them a number of days to get back to me on this. Tesla service center rep and manager indicated that even though the end result of my issue was the same -- no screen, no rear back up camera, no turn signals, no defrost presumably -- my issue was caused by a defective audio chip for the display and not the defective multi-media chip. I had the same safety issues but they required that I pay out of pocket fo the repair. They explained that Tesla had figure out a less expensive way to swap out the mulit media chip but for the audio chip it required a full replacement of the panel or something and that cost them more. I asked about who can i escalate this to and was told I woudl hae to write the legal department. I wrote the legal department on March 12, 2021 to request a refund. They have still not written me back or even acknowledged my letter. Since I wrote my letter to Tesla, my undestanding is that the federal safety agency has required Tesla to issue a recall to repair a blank screen chip issue.

Filed Apr 26, 2021 · Electrical · TX

2016 tesla model s. Consumer writes regarding the federal safety agency safety recall 21v‑035. *ld the consumer stated the display screen would turn black. Repair attempts have been made but, the failure persisted.

Filed Feb 3, 2021 · Electrical · WI

Display blanked out. Turn signals, sound from car, and others did not work. This happened a couple of times. Car drove ok except for doubt about what was working. Was able to fix it by going to internet at home and performing various techniques.