NHTSA Complaint #11445035 — 2020 TESLA MODEL 3

Tesla pushed an update (v. 2021.44.25.2) to my Model 3 a couple of days ago that has dramatically altered the usability of the car, and potentially has safety implications. There was no warning prior to the update being applied that such changes to the car's user interface were included, nor is there any option to revert to the prior user interface. Major issues with the changes are outlined below: - 1-button, single-click shortcuts to seat heating, defrost/defog functionality have been removed; when driving in bad weather where the screen may fog up rapidly, you're now required to take your eyes off the road, and click twice on a small target on the touch screen to activate the required functionality. - 1-button, single-click access to the wipers has been removed, now requiring one to either rely on the auto-sensing functionality (which works properly about half the time), or click through the HVAC menu to adjust the wiper speed. - The quick access driver profile selection dropdown in the previous interface has been removed. My spouse and I differ significantly in height, and about half the time, the car selects the wrong profile when we're both getting into the car (despite our phone keys being linked to our specific profiles). With the earlier UI, it took one tap on the screen to switch to the correct profile. Now, I have to dig through menus to select the correct profile, while my knees are being slowly ground into the steering column/dash. - When driving, the speedometer, gear selection and navigation look significantly different than in the earlier UI. This is likely to lead to more distracted driving while we get used to the new interface. I filed a service request with Tesla, requesting that they revert our car back to the prior version of the interface; this request was denied and the appointment was automatically canceled with a generic message about firmware updates being rolled out on a schedule.