2013 TESLA MODEL S Complaints

I OWN A TESLA MODEL S AND I REPORTING ISSUES WITH MY TOUCH SCREEN MCUS. IT HAS COMPLETELY FAILED AFTER 7,000 MILES. PRESENTLY I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OF MY HEATING,, AIR CONDITIONING, FAN, SAFETY CAMERAS, GARAGE DOOR OPENER, OR ELECTRONIC CONTROLS ON ANY TOUGH SCREEN PORTIONS OF THE CAR. THIS IS A HUGE PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERN THAT IMPACTS ME AND THE PUBLIC AS WELL. I LIVE IN A MOUNTAINSIDE AREA AND WE DEPEND ON THE BACK UP CAMERA TO AVOID ACCIDENTS AS OUR GARAGE BACKS UP INTO A VERY NARROW LANE. AND I CAN NOT SEE THE CHILDREN AND ANIMALS THAT ARE IN BACK OF MY CAR WHEN I EXIT MY GARAGE. NOR CAN I USE ANY OF THE GPS FEATURES FOR GUIDANCE AS WELL. THE TOUCH SCREEN HAS COMPLETE FAILURE IN THE MCU UNIT. I CONTACTED TELSA RE THIS ISSUE AND INFORMED THEM THAT THIS IS A LIABILITY TO ME AND THE BRAND BASED ON THE HUGE SAFETY ISSUES THIS PRESENTS. I TOLD THEM I WAS GLAD THAT THE CALL WAS BEING RECORDED AS I DID WANT THIS ISSUE TO BE UNREPORTED. AND I INFORMED TESLA THAT THIS PROBLEM IS EXIGENT AS WE LIVE IN SOUTHEN CALIFORNIA AND THE TEMPERATE IS NOW OVER 120 DEGREES. THIS COULD CAUSE HEAT STROKE AND ALSO KILL OUR ANIMALS AS WELL. TESLA REPLIED THAT THIS MY MY PROBLEM AND NOT THEIRS. SOME OWNERS BELIEVE THAT IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE EMBEDDED MULTI-MEDIA-CARD MEMORY (EMMC) IN THE MCU AND THAT IT IS BEING OVERWRITTEN TO THE POINT OF FAILURE. II KNOW NOW THAT IS A RECOGNIZED DEFECT KNOWN AS THE 'EMMC FAILURE' PROBLEM. I UNDERSTAND THAT TESLA NOW HAS INTRODUCED A NEW MCU IN 2018 THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT OWNERS OF OLDER VEHICLES ARE STILL EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM IN HAVING TO REPLACE THE UNIT OUT OF WARRANTY, DESPITE SEEING TESLA'S MISTAKE AS THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM INSTEAD OF A NORMAL ISSUE THAT OCCURS OVER TIME. I NEED RESOURCES AND REMEDIES TO CORRECT THIS MANUFACTURE INDUCED MALAISE.

THE MAIN TOUCH SCREEN FAILED WITH LIKELY EMMC FAILURE RESULTING IN NO NAVIGATION, NO BACKUP CAMERA, NO TURN SIGNALS OR SOUND, NO AIR OR DEFROSTERS AND NO WAY TO CONTROL HEADLIGHTS OR OTHER SAFETY FEATURES. FAILURE OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.

IN EARLY JUNE 2019, THE TOUCHSCREEN IN MY 2013 MODEL S P95+ STARTED TO MALFUNCTION. IT WAS UNRESPONSIVE, GOES BLACK ETC. THEN ONE DAY, A GOOEY SUBSTANCE STARTED TO LEAK FROM INSIDE AND ONTO THE CENTER CONSOLE OF THE VEHICLE. I TOOK IT TO THE DANIA BEACH, FLORIDA DEALERSHIP. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE DISPLAY ADHESIVE WAS LEAKING DUE TO HEAT. THEY REPLACED THE ENTIRE MCU UNIT AT A COST OF $1,200. THIS IS APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE RELATED TO THE SCREEN. LESS THAN A YEAR LATER, THIS PAST 08/31/2020, THE SAME THING STARTED TO HAPPEN TO THE MAIN INSTRUMENT PANEL. BOTH OF THESE ISSUES ARE APPARENTLY KNOWN PROBLEMS AND RENDER THE CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE.

MY TESLA HAS THE WELL KNOW 'BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH' DUE TO EMMC FAILURE. WITHOUT THIS, MOST FUNCTIONS OF THE VEHICLE DO NOT WORK. THIS INCLUDES SUSPENSION ADJUSTMENTS, AC/HEAT, BACKUP CAMERA, RADIO, NAVIGATION, ETC. TESLA HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE TO GET A LIVE PERSON ON THE PHONE, UNLESS IT'S FOR NEW CAR SALES. THEY SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT FOR US BUT IT'S 3 WEEKS AWAY AND WE CANNOT WAIT THAT LONG TO HAVE THE CAR MOBILE AGAIN. I WILL LIKELY TAKE THE EMMC OUT MYSELF, MAIL IT TO SOMEONE FOR REPLACEMENT, AND PAY ABOUT 700.00.

WHILE SLOWLY BACKING CAR UP IN DRIVEWAY, THE LEFT REAR LOWER CONTROL ARM UNEXPECTEDLY FAILED AND THE SUSPENSION COLLAPSED WITH THE WHEEL CAMBERED OUTWARD AT 30 DEGREES OR SO. THE WHEEL WAS TRAPPED IN THE WHEEL WELL AND UNABLE TO ROTATE, AND RELATED SUSPENSION PARTS INCLUDING A BRAKE LINE AND THE AIR SPRING MODULE WERE DAMAGED. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED AT SPEED THE LOCKED-UP REAR WHEEL WOULD HAVE CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. THERE IS AN EXISTING TESLA SERVICE BULLETIN, SB 19-31-001, WHICH STATES: "ON CERTAIN MODEL S VEHICLES, EITHER LOWER REAR CONTROL ARM MIGHT CRACK, CAUSING EXCESSIVE NEGATIVE CAMBER OF THE REAR SUSPENSION." IT STATES THAT THE CORRECTION IS: REPLACE BOTH LH AND RH LOWER REAR CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLIES WITH UPDATED PARTS." THIS DESCRIBES EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED WITH MY VEHICLE. THE CIRCULAR, CAST ALUMINUM PART OF THE ARM WHICH CONTAINS A LARGE BUSHING AT THE OUTBOARD END OF THE CONTROL ARM CRACKED AND FAILED SO THAT THE BUSHING WAS NO LONGER HELD BY THE ARM. UNDER THE VEHICLE TWO PIECES OF THE CAST ALUMINUM PART WERE FOUND. THESE BROKEN PARTS WERE THE RESULT OF TWO CRACKS IN THE ASSEMBLY. ONE CRACK HAS EVIDENCE OF CORROSION, SUGGESTING THAT IT OCCURRED MONTHS BEFORE THE UNIT FAILED; THE OTHER CRACK SHOWS BARE METAL INDICATING THAT IT JUST OCCURRED. THE TESLA SB STATES THAT THIS DEFECT IS A "KNOWN NON-SAFETY-RELATED CONDITION." I CANNOT POSSIBLY SEE HOW THIS IS A "NON-SAFETY-RELATED" ISSUE -- IF THIS FAILURE HAD OCCURRED AT SPEED IT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. TESLA SERVICE HAS QUOTED ALMOST $4000 FOR REPAIR, BUT THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE REPLACEMENT OF THE CONTROL ARM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE PER THE SERVICE BULLETIN -- IN OTHER WORDS, THEY ARE IGNORING THE BULLETIN. OTHERS ON THE TESLA FORUMS ARE HAVING EXACTLY THE SAME CONTROL ARM FAILURES. THE SITUATION IS UNNERVING AND DISCOURAGING.

THE DISPLAY SCREEN, WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO CONTROL THE ENTIRE VEHICLE, FAILS OVER TIME. IT IS A BIG PROBLEM SINCE THE CAR HAS NO BUTTONS AND EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE ON THE SCREEN. THE PROBLEM IS THIS ONE, AS MANY OTHER TESLA OWNERS HAVE HAD. HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/TMC/THREADS/MODEL-S-BLACK-HORIZONTAL-LINE-IN-MCU-SCREEN.193133/ THIS APPEARED ALL OF A SUDDEN, AND EVENTUALLY THE SCREEN WILL COMPLETELY FAIL MAKING THE CAR NOT USABLE.

THE MCU (MAIN TOUCHSCREEN COMPUTER) FAILED ON MY 2013 TESLA MODEL S AROUND JUNE 10TH 2020, WITH ~45K MILES. THE MCU PREVIOUSLY HAD SOME REBOOT ISSUES BUT THIS TIME WAS DIFFERENT BECAUSE THE COMPUTER WAS CONSTANTLY REBOOTING AND WOULDN'T STOP. THIS WAS AFTER THE CAR WAS LEFT IN THE GARAGE AND NOT DRIVEN FOR ABOUT A WEEK. I HAD TESLA REPLACE THE MCU ON MY CAR WHICH COST ~$1700+. WHEN THE TESLA MODEL S MCU GOES OUT, THE CAR CAN STILL BE DRIVEN BUT THIS COMPUTER IS CENTRAL TO OPERATING MOST FUNCTIONS OF THE CAR. MANY VEHICLE FUNCTIONS NO LONGER WORK WITH A FAILED MCU INCLUDING THE AC/HEATER; BACKUP CAMERA DISPLAY; NAVIGATION INSTRUCTIONS, GPS, AND MAPS; INSIDE MANUAL DOOR LOCKS AND SUNROOF CONTROL; GARAGE DOOR OPENER; RADIO AND ALL MUSIC PLAY FUNCTIONALITY; ENERGY CONSUMPTION DISPLAYS; PHONE; VEHICLE CHARGE SETTINGS AND CHARGE STATUS DISPLAY; SELECTION OF AUTOMATIC PERSONAL POSITIONING FOR STEERING WHEEL, SEAT, AND MIRROR; MANY LIGHTING CONTROLS; OTHER VEHICLE SETTINGS; ON-SCREEN GAMES; AND MORE. THERE IS A NEWER VERSION OF MCU THAT I PLEADED WITH TESLA TO OBTAIN AND INSTALL IN MY CAR BUT THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T GET IT. THE MCU FAILURES ARE APPARENTLY RELATED TO OVERUSED COMPUTER MEMORY CHIPS AND THE MCU REPLACEMENT WAS ACTUALLY A REMANUFACTURED COMPUTER AND WASN'T NEW. THE REPLACEMENT DID HAVE A NEW TOUCHSCREEN AND UPGRADED LET MODEM BUT LATER HAD NEW 'LOW DISK SPACE' ERROR MESSAGES AND REBOOTED REPEATEDLY WITHIN WEEKS OF THE MCU REPLACEMENT.

SCREEN WENT COMPLETELY BLACK AND HAD TO PAY TO HAVE IT REPLACED. WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO FIX FOR IT.

MCU 1 FAILED. DISPLAY SCREEN DEAD. NO CONTROLS FOR CLIMATE, BACKUP CAMERA, AUDIO SYSTEM, NAVIGATION, ETC

MCU HAS BEEN MALFUNCTIONING. WITHOUT IT I CANNOT CONTROL CLIMATE, BACKUP CAMERA, RADIO, TURN SIGNALS, CHARGING, NAVIGATION, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER IMPORTANT FEATURES. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN ONGOING AND INTERMITTENT, BUT RECENTLY HAS BECOME MORE COMMON.