What 647 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Tesla Model S 60

AFTER WE RETURNED FROM OUR SUMMER HOME, I TRIED TO DRIVE THE TESLA. THE MAIN SCREEN DID NOT LIGHT UP BUT I FIGURED THAT A NORMAL RESET WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. AS I DROVE, I ATTEMPTED A RESET BUT THE SCREEN REMAINED BLACK. I ALSO LEARNED THAT THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD NOT WORK INCLUDING THE CRUISE CONTROL, WINDSHEILD WIPERS AND HEADLIGHT HIGH BEAMS. WORRIED ABOUT OTHER PROBLEMS, I RETURNED HOME AND HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE CAR SINCE. OVER THE SUMMER THERE HAD BEEN SEVERAL UPDATES TO THE CARS FIRMWARE AND I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE IMPROVEMENTS. PRIOR TO THAT. WE WERE DRIVING WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY, ALL WITH THE TESLA APP ON THEIR PHONES. THE CAR WENT INTO "LIMP HOME" MODE ON I-95 AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE SEAT HEATERS WOULD TURN ON AND OFF, THE DOORS WOULD UNLOCK AND THE ENTIRE CAR SEEMED TO HAVE A MIND OF IT'S OWN. I ASKED EVERYONE TO TURN OFF THEIR PHONES AND THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED. TESLA SERVICE SAID THEY'D NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING.

NHTSA ODI 11342809

MIDDLE SCREEN WENT OUT PUTTING THE CAR IN 'LIMP MODE' HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND WE DIDN'T HAVE HEADLIGHTS OR TURN SIGNALS! HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ABOUT TWO HOURS FROM HOME WHEN WE TRIED PUTTING A ROUTE IN THE TOUCH SCREEN AFTER SETTING THE AUTOMATIC UPDATE FOR 2 AM THE FOLLOWING MORNING. THE CAR HAS 101K MILES THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 100K MILES. WE NOTIFIED TESLA OF THE PROBLEMS WE'VE BEEN HAVING WITH OUR SCREEN FREEZING AND REAR VIEW CAMERA RANDOMLY NOT WORKING WHILE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY BUT THE TECHS SAID 'EVERYTHING IS FINE AND IT MUST HAVE BEEN A FLUKE' NOW THAT THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY THE NOW SUDDENLY KNOW THE PROBLEM AND A SOLUTION! THIS DEFECT IS SCARY AND LEFT US STRANDED AND UNABLE TO NAVIGATE TO A SAFE AREA OFF THE HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS!!! WHY WOULD THEY JEOPARDIZE SAFETY OVER MONEY!

NHTSA ODI 11341542

TESLA MODEL S MAIN SCREEN DIED. IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE ON EARLY MODEL S WITH MCDU VERSION 1. A CHIP ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD CAN ONLY HANDLE XXX AMOUNTS OF WRITES, OR WRITE OVERS, THEN GIVES UP. SCREEN GOES BLANK. MOST MODEL S CAR FUNCTIONS ARE CONTROLLED ON THE MAIN SCREEN. MY SCREEN FAILED WHILE DRIVING. UNABLE TO SET OR CONTROL CHARGING. UNABLE TO TURN OFF A/C. UNABLE TO HEAR TURN SIGNALS. UNABLE TO TURN ON OR CONTROL HEADLIGHTS. UNABLE TO CLOSE SUNROOF. UNABLE TO CHANGE SUSPENSION SETTINGS. UNABLE TO CHANGE STEERING SETTINGS. UNABLE TO CHANGE LIGHTING ON THE DASH. MOST FEATURES IN THE MODEL S ARE NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11341230

TESLA MEDIA CONTROL UNIT ("MCU") IS NO LONGER OPERABLE (SCREEN TURNS BLACK AND LOSES ALL FUNCTIONS). THE TESLA MCU IS BASICALLY THE CAR'S CENTRAL CONTROL SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS YOU TO ADJUST THE HEADLIGHTS, THE STEERING WHEEL RESISTANCE, THE VEHICLE CHARGING CONTROLS, THE VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS... ETC. THE SCREEN TURNED BLACK, MY TURN LIGHTS ARE DISABLED (AS SHOWN IN IMAGE, LIGHTS WILL NO LONGER BLINK), MY HEADLIGHTS ARE DISABLED, MY AIRBAG FUNCTIONS CAN NO LONGER BE SWITCHED TO OFF WHEN NEEDED, THE MOON ROOF CANNOT BE OPENED, THE AC SYSTEM ALONG WITH DEFROST/COOLING FUNCTIONS ARE ALL DISABLED AND INACCESSIBLE. THE VEHICLE DASHBOARD DISPLAYS "PLEASE WAIT WHILE VEHICLE SYSTEM POWERS UP" FOR ANYWHERE BETWEEN 1 MINUTES TO 4.5 MINUTES. THE VEHICLE IS NOT OPERABLE DURING THE SYSTEM POWER UP WHEN I ENTER THE CAR. THIS ISSUE APPEARS TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE MCU FAILURE AND HAVE PERSISTED AND WORSENED IN THE MONTHS LEADING UP TO THE COMPLETE FAILURE ON 7/16. I WOULD HAVE TO SIT IN VEHICLE FOR 1-4 MINUTES, UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE IT IS LOADING UP. THIS SHOWS THAT THE MCU IS EXTREMELY ESSENTIAL TO THE VEHICLE, AND NOT MERELY A MEDIA UNIT AS THEY HAVE TRIED TO CONVINCE WITH THE NAME. IT APPEARS THAT THE MCU FAILS AFTER A NUMBER OF YEARS/USAGE DUE TO THE OLD CHIP THAT REWRITES OVER REPEATEDLY. THE MCU IS PRE-INSTALLED TO FAIL IN ALL VEHICLES PRODUCED PRIOR TO 2018 IN THE MODEL X AND S. BASICALLY THIS SYSTEM WILL FAIL IN EVERY CAR AT USES THE OLD MCU1, AND DOESN'T APPLY TO VEHICLES AFTER 2018 SINCE THE SWITCH TO MCU2. I REACHED OUT TO TESLA SERVICE CENTER BY PHONE (UNABLE TO ACCESS THE TESLA APP DUE TO THE INABILITY FOR APP AND VEHICLE TO COMMUNICATE), AND THEY QUOTED A REPLACEMENT OF THE SAME MCU (BUT WITH AN UPGRADED CHIP) AT THE PRICE OF $1201, WITH A 3 WEEK WAITING PERIOD. THE CAR IS NOT INOPERABLE FOR THE NEXT 3 WEEKS DUE TO THE LOST OF ESSENTIAL AND SAFETY FUNCTIONS.

NHTSA ODI 11339943

THE VEHICLE HAD COMPUTER ISSUES DURING OCT10-FEB1. LOSS OF CONNECTIVITY, REBOOTS OCCUR WHILE DRIVING. NO SPEEDOMETER. NO TURN SIGNAL INDICATORS, NO PARKING BRAKE ABILITY, I PARKED VEHICLE FEB1 FOR SAFETY REASONS. ATTEMPTED TO GET SERVICE. VEHICLE BY APRIL[15] HAD GONE FROM INTERMITTENT TO PERMANENT. NO VISIBILITY OF COMPUTER SCREEN.NO FUNCTIONS. NO HIGH HEADLIGHTS, JUST LOW HEADLIGHTS, NO CRASH IMMINENT BUZZER, NO AUTOBRAKING. DRIVE&REVERSE ONLY, STEERING DIFFERENT, SLIGHTLY STIFFER, NO HANDS FREE PHONE & NO GPS ABILITY. EASY TO GET LOST OR CONFUSED AS TO WHERE TO TURN OR WHETHER TO TURN OR GO FORWARD. ARM OUT WINDOWS FOR TURNING, REDUCED SPEED CONTROLS. NO LANE DEPARTURE BUZZER. CHANGING LANE REFUSAL W ADJACENT CAR PRESENT IN LANE INOPERATIVE. COMP. NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY, WHILE UNDER WARRANTY, THE REPAIR WAS DECLINED, STATING 'IT MUST BE COMPLETELY DEAD BEFORE IT CAN BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY' BY APR15 COMP. WAS COMPLETELY DEAD BUT I HAD DECLARED WARRANTY INADEQUATE UPON FIRST REFUSAL TO COVER IT, JULY, NO PARTS AVAILABLE, SO MANY WEEKS OF WAITING. DEALER UNABLE TO FIND AN UPGRADE PART TO SELL TO ME. WAITING FOR A $2500 INSTALL OF A NEW PART THAT I AM WILLING TO PAY FOR BUT CANNOT PROCURE QUICKLY ENUF, NO MATTER WHAT. DRIVING WITHOUT CONTROL OF HEADLIGHTS OR WITHOUT TURN SIGNALS HAS BEEN CURTAILED BUT FOR EMERGENCY FOOD PROCUREMENT. DOCTOR VISITS, MASK&GLOVE REPLACEMENTS FOR THE COVID SITUATION REQUIRES THOSE. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY I GUESS THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED PERMANENTLY AT HOME & ONLY A FEW SUDDEN TIMES TEMPORARILY ON THE ROAD. THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT, DENIED REPLACEMENT REQUESTS & FINALLY FAILRD ENTIRELY, NOW ALL MUST WAIT WHILE UNABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE MUCH OF ANYWHERE. CAR NOT SALE-ABLE, NOR DOES IT CEASE DROPPING IN PRICE EVERY MONTH WHILE I AWAIT A FIX. RENTAL IS EXPENSIVE. INSURANCE GAVE ME FIRST 30 DAYS, THOSE OVER NOW. SUSP. INSUR. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ODI 11338970

THE TOUCHSCREEN IN MY 2015 MODEL S HAS COMPLETELY FAILED. I'VE ATTEMPTED ALL OF THE RESETS THAT TESLA RECOMMENDS TO RESTART THE SYSTEM TO NO AVAIL. THE CAR IS NEARLY USELESS, NONE OF THE ELECTRICAL FEATURES OF THE VEHICLE WORK, INCLUDING HEATING/AIR CONDITIONING, CHARGING FEATURES, AUDIO OR TURN SIGNALS. THE CAR WORKED FINE YESTERDAY, TODAY THE SCREEN WAS JUST GONE.

NHTSA ODI 11338680

LOSS OF TURN SIGNAL NOISE, HEADLIGHT CONTROL, REARVIEW CAMERA, CLIMATE CONTROL, SEAT MEMORY, GARAGE DOOR OPENING CAPABILITY, NAVIGATION, EMERGENCY BRAKING, AND DIFFICULTY CHARGING THE CAR. THIS OCCURRED GRADUALLY OVER THE COURSE OF A COUPLE OF DAYS AND HAS LEFT THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE WITHOUT HEADLIGHT CONTROL, AUDITORY WARNINGS, AND REARVIEW CAMERA. THIS IS CAUSED BY A FAILED EMMC CHIP ON THE MCU IN THE CAR. IT IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM AND NOT COVERED OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY, DESPITE IT BEING GUARANTEED TO FAIL SOMETIME BETWEEN 4 YEARS AND 5 YEARS OF AGE. (WARRANTY UP AFTER 4)

NHTSA ODI 11337898

THE 12V BATTERY ON OUR 2015 TESLA MODEL S STARTED FAILING LAST NOVEMBER. WE WERE ASSURED THAT TESLA THAT IT WOULD BE SAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL THEY COULD REPLACE THE BATTERY (WHICH TOOK ABOUT 2 MONTHS). WE'VE COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS FAR FROM ACCURATE. AFTER THAT, OUR MCU (THE MAIN COMPUTER IN THE CAR) FAILED. THIS IS APPARENTLY A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM THAT TESLA REFUSES TO FIX. WHEN THEY REPLACED THE MCU WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED HAVING ISSUES: 1. THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS DID NOT WORK. 2. THE COMPUTER LOGS WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO TESLA TO DIAGNOSE ISSUES OR RECOVER OUR CAR IF IT WAS STOLLEN. 3. THE FOG LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING 4. GLOVE BOX WOULD NOT OPEN 5. SCREEN NOW HAS NOTICEABLE FLICKER 6. CAR NOW HAS CHARGING PROBLEMS. THE ISSUES WITH THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS, FOG LIGHTS, AND GLOVE BOX WERE ABLE TO FIXED BY A DIFFERENT SERVICE CENTER THE SAME DAY (ALTHOUGH I HAD TO DRIVE APPROX. 30 MILES TO GET TO A DIFFERENT SERVICE CENTER). THE LOGGING ISSUE TOOK ABOUT A MONTH OR TWO TO FIX. THE SCREEN FLICKER AND CHARGING ISSUES WHERE THE CAR RANDOMLY SWITCHES TO A DIFFERENT CHARGING LEVEL WHILE DRIVING OR CHARGING WITHOUT ANY ERROR MESSAGES, IS ON-GOING. I'VE BEEN BACK TO TESLA OVER A DOZEN TIMES, AND THEY IKE TO CHARGE $100 EVERY VISIT "UNDER WARRANTY."

NHTSA ODI 11337955

THE MAIN SCREEN, MCU, ON MY TESLA MODEL S, 2015 70D BEGAN REBOOTING DURING DRIVING. ON SATURDAY, JULY 4TH, 2020, THE CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL. TESLA CUSTOMER SERVICE COACHED ME ON GETTING THE CAR TO WORK WITHOUT THE MAIN SCREEN, HOWEVER IT IS NOT SAFE. THE BRAKE LIGHTS, SIGNAL LIGHTS, REAR CAMERA DO NOT WORK, VERIFIED BY MY SPOUSE. FURTHER, MOST OF THE OTHER CONTROLS, E.G. DE-FOG, AIR CONDITIONING, ROOF, ETC, DO NOT WORK. THE RE-BOOTING OF THE SCREEN, WHERE IT WOULD BLANK OUT WITHOUT WARNING, AND EVENTUALLY COME BACK LATER, OCCURRED WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION -- VERY DISTRACTING. AT THIS POINT, THE MAIN DISPLAY, OR MCU, IS "BRICKED" -- IT WON'T DISPLAY ANYTHING AT ALL, SO THAT HAS HAPPENED WHEN THE CAR IS STATIONARY.

NHTSA ODI 11337564

MY TESLA MCU1 SCREEN/MEMORY FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. $1600. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, TURN SIGNALS, CLIMATE CONTROL, AND WIPERS ARE INOPERATIVE, MAKING THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11337413

THE INFOTAINMENT COMPUTER MCU1 IS KNOWN TO FAIL PREMATURELY DUE TO SOFTWARE ISSUES CAUSED AND NOT FIXED IN A TIMELY MANNER BY TESLA. BASICALLY THE LIMITED WRITE CYCLES OF FLASH MEMORY ARE EXHAUSTED DUE TO EXCESSIVE LOGGING UP TO A CERTAIN SOFTWARE VERSION. MY CAR SHOWS THE EARLY WARNING SIGNS INCLUDING BLACK SCREENS ON ENTERING (CAR IS NOT MOVABLE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES) AND REBOOTS DURING DRIVING. FULL MCU FAILURE IS KNOWN TO CAUSE INDICATOR LIGHTS TO FAIL, AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING TO NOT ENGAGE, DISABLED FAST CHARGING AND NO ACCURATE CHARGE INDICATOR (SO RISK OF GETTING STRANDED), HEATING/VENTILATION STUCK TO MOST RECENT SETTING (NO DEFROST), AUDIO FRAGMENTS BEING STUCK ON ARBITRARY VOLUME, AIR SUSPENSION IS STUCK TO POSSIBLY UNSUITABLE SETTINGS AND THE SPEEDOMETER IS REVERTING TO MPH INSTEAD OF KM/H WITHOUT NOTIFICATION. IF PIN TO DRIVE IS USED, THE CAR CAN NO LONGER BE UNLOCKED AND MOVED. TESLA DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THIS PROBLEM AND CHARGES FOR FULL REPAIR COST OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY / DRAGS CASES OF IMPENDING MCU FAILURE UNTIL THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. MCU1 CAN BE REPLACED WITH MCU2 ACCORDING TO A TESLA INFOTAINMENT WEBSITE; HOWEVER ONLY MCU1 REPLACEMENTS FOR THE OLDEST CARS (AP1 SENSOR LEVEL) ARE AVAILABLE TO DATE DESPITE ANNOUNCEMENT THESE WOULD BE READY IN APRIL 2020. NEWER CARS WITH LONGER REMAINING LIFE CAN BE UPGRADED UPON INVITATION BY TESLA.

NHTSA ODI 11331708

MY TOUCHSCREEN HAS FAILED COMPLETELY AND I AM UNABLE TO USE MY BLINKERS OR CONTROL MY LIGHTS THIS IS A BIG SAFETY CONCERN AND TESLA HAS STATED THAT IT'S NORMAL FOR COMPUTER SYSTEMS TO FAIL.

NHTSA ODI 11331332

MCU FAILED. WHEN IT FAILED CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE. BEFORE FAILURE MCU WAS CONSTANTLY REBOOTING WHILE DRIVING. DURING REBOOT WOULD LOSE HEADLIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, RADIO, AND AIR CONDITIONING. COMPLETE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE STATIONARY. REBOOTING OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11331187

CENTER CONSOLE DISPLAY AND COMPUTER FAILED AS DESCRIBED IN NHTSA PE20010, WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY APPROXIMATELY JANUARY 2018. REPLACEMENT UNIT IS NOW SHOWING INITIAL SIGNS OF SAME FAILURE (EXTREMELY SLOW START-UP NOW INCLUDING BLANK INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHEN ENTERING/STARTING CAR; CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY AND NAVIGATION FAILURES; UNUSUAL SOUNDS OR LACK OF AUDITORY FEEDBACK FOR VEHICLE CONTROLS, BLANK BLACK SCREEN FOR BACKUP CAMERA, ETC.) *TR

NHTSA ODI 11331194

TESLA MODEL S 2015, THE MAIN SCREEN (MCU) GOES BLACK ON/OFF. THE MANUFACTURER SUGGESTED DOING A REBOOT, BUT IT DID NOT HELP. NOW MCU IS PERMANENTLY BLACK (NON-FUNCTIONAL) AND THE CAR HAS LOST MANY FUNCTIONALITIES, INCLUDING TWO THAT ARE SAFETY RISKS, THERE IS NO REARVIEW CAMERA AND TURN SIGNALS DON'T WORK. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11330788

THE MCU/SCREEN STOPPED WORKING AND I WAS ABLE TONDRIVE, BUT NOT USE ANY SAFETY FEATURES, INCLUDING BLINKERS, BACK-UP CAMERA, OR NAVIGATION. IT TOOK OVER A WEEK TO GET A SERVICE APPOINTMENT AND THE ITEM WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, SO I HAD TO PAY OVER $1600 OUT OF POCKET. THE CAR WAS NOT IN MOTION WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED, AND I WAS ABLE TONDRIVE, THOUGH NOT AS SAFELY AS EXPECTED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11330588

MY VEHICLE WAS SERVICED BY TESLA'S SUNNYVALE SERVICE CENTER AND WHEN RETURNED, THEY OBVIOUSLY NEVER DID A SAFETY TEST. AFTER DRIVING DOWN THE STREET I FOUND THEY DIDN'T RECONNECT SEVERAL CABLES, INCLUDING THE FOG LIGHTS AND THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS. THEY ALSO DISABLED SEVERAL SAFETY FEATURES (LANE DEPARTURE WARNINGS, SPEED WARNINGS, DOOR LOCKS, CHILD LOCKS) WITHOUT TELLING ME ANY OF THIS!

NHTSA ODI 11316627

12V BATTERY HAS STARTED FAILING, BEEN OVER 2 MONTHS, TESLA KEEPS CANCELLING APPOINTMENTS TO FIX. CAR IS GOING TO DIE ON THE ROAD ON ME.

NHTSA ODI 11302278

THERE IS A FLAW IN THE TESLA EMMC WHICH WILL INEVITABLY CAUSE A CRITICAL PORTION OF THE CHIP TO FAIL PREMATURELY, DUE TO CONSTANT EXCESSIVE LOGGING WITHIN THE TOUCHSCREEN SYSTEM. ULTIMATELY THE MEMORY CHIP FAILS AND THE TOUCHSCREEN GOES BLACK, PLACING THE CAR IN LIMP HOME MODE, THE PARKING SENSORS AND REAR VIEW CAMERA NO LONGER WORK, IT WILL NOT CHARGE AND EFFECTIVELY BECOMES UN-DRIVABLE WHEN THE BATTERY RUNS OUT. THE EMMC IS A LINCHPIN COMPONENT FOR THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE CAR. THE EMMC, THOUGH IT DOES NOT CONTROL THE CAR'S PROPULSION, BRAKING OR STEERING, IS THE HEART OF THE TOUCHSCREEN WHICH IS USED TO TURN ON HEADLIGHTS, ADJUST HVAC AND ALL CAR SETTINGS RUN THROUGH THE TOUCHSCREEN. THE HVAC UNIT NOW HAS A "DOG MODE" WHICH KEEPS THE CABIN COOL FOR DOGS OR OCCUPANTS WAITING IN CAR. THE FAILURE OF THE TOUCHSCREEN UNIT WHILE IN DOG MODE COULD RESULT IN HEAT-RELATED FATALITY, SHOULD AN OWNER. FOR MORE INFORMATION HERE ARE SOME REFERENCES: - VIDEO SHOWING AN ENGINEER WHO'S HELPED SEVERAL HUNDRED CUSTOMERS DISABLE LOGGING BETWEEN MINUTES 8 THROUGH 12: HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/O-7B1WAOJ9Q?T=499 - A RECENT ARTICLE EXPLAINING THE FLAW: HTTPS://WWW.THEDRIVE.COM/NEWS/27945/A-SINGLE-COMPONENT-CAN-BRICK-OLDER-TESLAS-AND-TESLA-WONT-FIX-IT THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN PROBLEM BY THE TESLA OWNERS COMMUNITY FOR UPWARDS OF A YEAR NOW AND REQUIRES A SIMPLE SOFTWARE UPDATE TO REMEDY - DISABLE LOGGING TO EMMC MEMORY. ACCORDING TO OTHER OWNERS, THIS PROBLEM EXISTS ON ALL CURRENT AND PAST TESLA MODELS AND IT IS A MATTER OF "WHEN" NOT "IF" FOR ALL CHIPS TO FAIL UNLESS THEY MAKE A CHANGE TO THEIR SOFTWARE LOGGING.

NHTSA ODI 11207819