NHTSA Complaint #11391066 — 2014 TESLA MODEL S

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM issue reported to NHTSA

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Complaint Details

ODI Number 11391066
Vehicle 2014 TESLA MODEL S
Component ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of Incident
Date Filed
Mileage 57,800 miles
Crash No
Fire No
Injuries 0
Deaths 0
Vehicle Towed No
State MD

Consumer Description

I HAVE HAD REPEATED FAILURES RELATED TO THE MAIN DISPLAY (MCU) ON MY TESLA MODEL S, INCLUDED FAILURE TO START WHEN THE CAR WAS POWERED UP, "CRASHING" DURING DRIVING, "LOCKING" OR "FREEZING" OF ENTERTAINMENT SCREENS ONTO THE DISPLAY THAT REMAIN EVEN WHILE DRIVING, AND SLOW RESPONSE TO INSTRUCTIONS. IT WAS INITIALLY REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY WITH A REMANUFACTURED MCU1 UNIT IN FEBRUARY 2020. THE CAR CONTINUED TO HAVE PROBLEMS AND I SCHEDULED SERVICE TWO MORE TIMES DURING 2020 AND TESLA REFUSED TO REPLACE THE HARDWARE EACH TIME. THEY SAID THEY "CLEARED THE MEMORY" AND "RESET THE FIRMWARE". THIS SOLVED THE IMMEDIATE PROBLEMS BUT THE PROBLEMS RETURNED, SOMETIMES WITHIN DAYS. I HAVE HEARD ANECDOTALLY THAT TESLA REDUCED DATA LOGGING TO TRY AND PRESERVE THE LIFE OF THESE UNITS; IRONICALLY, I BELIEVE, THIS RESULTS IN TESLA SAYING THERE WAS NOTHING LOGGED AND THUS REFUSING TO REPLACE THE HARDWARE. IN JANUARY OF 2021, OUT OF CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF MY CAR, I PAID $2500 TO UPGRADE FROM MCU1 TO MCU2 BASED ON STAFF SAYING THAT WOULD SOLVE MY PROBLEMS. IT HAS NOT. IN THE 10 DAYS SINCE THE UPGRADE, IT HAS "CRASHED" 2 MORE TIMES WHILE DRIVING AND "FROZE" PART OF THE DISPLAY ANOTHER TIME WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE LOST UNEXPECTEDLY : NAVIGATION IN THE MIDDLE OF A COMPLICATED INTERCHANGE, THE REAR CAMERA NEEDED TO REVERSE SAFELY, MANY CONTROLS INCLUDING LIGHTS, HEATING, AC, AND CHARGING. WITH THE MCU2 CRASH, I ALSO LOST THE DASHBOARD DISPLAY (E.G. SPEED). FINALLY, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DISPLAY OF THE REAR CAMERA IN MCU2 (THE REAR CAMERA IS THE SAME) IS BAD - AT NIGHT THE DISPLAY IS SO DARK IT IS ALMOST USELESS. THIS IS A STEP BACKWARDS. I HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY TOLD AN IMPENDING FIRMWARE UPDATE WILL FIX THE PROBLEMS. I HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL UPDATES, BUT NONE FIXED THE PROBLEMS. THE ATTACHED PHOTO IS THE MOST RECENT CRASH OF THE NEW MCU2.

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