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

THE MCU THAT OPERATES THE CAR FAILED.

NHTSA ODI 11343614

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A LOUD SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PLUGGED UP AND CHARGING. THE CONTACT DISCONNECTED THE CHARGER IN FEAR THAT THE BATTERY OR THE ENGINE MAY EXPLODE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO BE FULLY CHARGED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,874.

NHTSA ODI 11343651

THE EMMC CHIP IN THE MEDIA CONTROL UNIT FAILED RESULTING IN THE LARGE TOUCH SCREEN NO LONGER WORKING. I LOST CONTROL OF THE TURN SIGNALS, CLIMATE CONTROL, REAR VIEW CAMERA, CHARGING, NAVIGATION, AND AUDIO. IT IS THE SAME PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN YOUR PE 20-010 INVESTIGATION DOCUMENT.

NHTSA ODI 11343403

THE MAIN COMPUTER SCREEN (MCU), ON MY 2015 TESLA MODEL S WENT COMPLETELY BLACK WHILE DRIVING IN THE CITY. I AM NOT ABLE TO READ OR CHANGE ANY CONTROLS ON THE CAR OR COMMUNICATE WITH THE COMPUTER PROGRAM.

NHTSA ODI 11343432

WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, I NOTICED THAT THE CENTER SCREEN (MCU) WAS NOT TURNING ON. AFTER TRYING SEVERAL SYSTEM RESETS, I GAVE UP AND USED OUR OTHER VEHICLE FOR THE TRIP. AFTER SCHEDULING A SERVICE APPOINTMENT, I WAS CONTACTED BY A TESLA SUPPORT TO FURTHER DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT. THE MEMORY CHIP (EMMC) IN MY VEHICLE'S MEDIA CONTROL UNIT (MCU) HAS FAILED, WHICH PREVENTS THE MCU FROM FUNCTIONING. THE MCU CONTROLS MANY ASPECTS OF THE VEHICLE, INCLUDING LIGHTING, SUSPENSION ADJUSTMENT, CLIMATE CONTROL, NAVIGATION, ACCESSORIES, ENTERTAINMENT, VEHICLE STATUS, ETC. WITHOUT THE MCU, THE VEHICLE IS STILL DRIVABLE, BUT IN A SERIOUSLY COMPROMISED STATE. THE BACKUP CAMERA IS NOT AVAILABLE, THE CLIMATE SYSTEM IS OFF AND CAN NOT BE TURNED ON. VARIOUS AUDIBLE WARNINGS CAN OCCUR SPURIOUSLY, LIKE THE CHIME FOR AN OPEN DOOR OR HATCH, AND OBSTACLE PROXIMITY. TESLA IS AWARE OF THE EMMC FAILURE IN THEIR EARLIER VEHICLES (THOSE EQUIPPED WITH MCU VERSION 1, LIKE MINE), AND OFFERS A TO REPACE THE MCU WITH A REFURBISHED UNIT FOR $1100, OR AN UPGRADE TO MCU2 (WHICH INCLUDES THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER COMPUTER/SCREEN AS WELL) FOR $2500. THIS SERIOUS ISSUE IS DUE TO A DESIGN DEFICIENCY OF THE VERSION 1 MCU. TESLA SHOULD ORDER A RECALL OF ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES AND DO THE REPAIR AT NO COST TO THE OWNER.

NHTSA ODI 11343558

WHEN TURNING ON MY VEHICLE, I NOTICED BUBBLES HAD FORMED AT THE TOP RIGHT EDGE OF THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER SCREEN. AFTER A BIT OF ONLINE RESEARCH, IT TURNED OUT THAT THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS IN TESLA MODEL S'S AND X'S. IF I HAD LET THE PROBLEM PROGRESS, THE LIQUID IN THE SCREEN WOULD HAVE EVENTUALLY FLOWED OVER OTHER COMPONENTS BEHIND THE DASH AND STARTED DRIPPING OUT THE BOTTOM OF THE DASH ONTO THE DRIVER'S LEGS OR CARPET. TESLA CHARGES ABOUT $1400 TO REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER SCREEN WITH AN IDENTICAL UNIT THAT MAY DEVELOP THE SAME PROBLEM AFTER ABOUT 4 YEARS SERVICE. I OPTED TO REPLACE THE SCREEN MYSELF FOR ABOUT $300 FOR A NEW OEM SCREEN SOLD BY AN ONLINE ENTREPRENEUR, AND A FEW OF HOURS OF WORK TO DISASSEMBLE THE DASH, REMOVE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER COMPUTER, REPLACE THE SCREEN, AND REASSEMBLE THE DASH. TESLA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. TESLA SPEC'ED A SCREEN THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS HOLD UP TO THE CLIMATE RIGORS OF A CAR INTERIOR. THIS MAY NOT WARRANT A FULL RECALL, BUT TESLA SHOULD OFFER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS COMPONENT, AND PERFORM THE REPAIR AT NO COST THE THE OWNER

NHTSA ODI 11343562

THE CENTER SCREEN/MCU SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING (WENT BLACK). TRYING REBOOT/STANDARD TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS HAS NOT YIELD ANY SUCCESS. AFTER A FEW DAYS, MANY OTHER FEATURES, INCLUDING BLINKERS (EXCLUDING EMERGENCY/FLASHERS LIGHTS, WHICH ACTIVATE BUT LACKING SOUND) STOPPED WORKING. MADE AN APPOINTMENT THROUGH TESLA APP, WITH DESCRIPTION OF THE ISSUE, ON 6/24 FOR 6/30 (EARLIEST AVAILABLE DATE); ON 6/26, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL THAT THE APPOINTMENT HAD BEEN MOVED TO A SERVICE CENTER FOR 7/7. ON THE SAME DAY (6/26/2020) AND ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER INITIAL RMAIL, I RECEIVED ANOTHER EMAIL THAT MY APPOINTMENT HAD BEEN CANCELED "PER YOUR REQUEST", BUT I HAD NOT REQUESTED A CANCELLATION. I VISITED TESLA'S SERVICE CENTER IN SAN DIEGO - MIRAMAR BETWEEN 7/7-7/10 TO INQUIRE ABOUT SERVICE CANCELLATION AND REQUEST A SERVICE FOR MY CAR, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD CANCELLED MY APPOINTMENT DUE TO PARTS UNAVAILABILITY AND I WOULD BE CONTACTED LATER ONCE PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE TO SCHEDULE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT; HOWEVER, THE SERVICE CENTER REFUSED TO LOOK AT/EVALUATE MY CAR WHATSOEVER "DUE TO COVID" AND TOLD ME THAT BASED ON OTHER SITUATIONS, THEY'RE VERY SURE THE MCU NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED (~$1500 OUT OF POCKET COST) BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE A REPLACEMENT YET; I EXPLAINED MY BLINKERS AND MANY OTHER SAFETY FEATURES (REARVIEW CAMERA, CLIMATE CONTROL, "AUTO-PILOT", ETC.) ALSO NOT WORKING AND THEY MENTIONED THOSE SHOULD TYPICALLY CONTINUE TO WORK AFTER A MCU MALFUNCTION BUT THEY WILL NOT TAKE A LOOK AT THE CAR UNTIL THEY RECEIVE REPLACEMENT MCU. IT'S NOW PAST 8/3 AND I STILL HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM TESLA ON PATH TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE/NEW SERVICE APPOINTMENT. IT'S ALSO WORTH MENTIONING I HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING CAR'S CURRENT MILEAGE (LAST UPDATE ON APP FROM 6/23 READS 103,683 MI) OR OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE DUE TO THIS ISSUE AS WELL.

NHTSA ODI 11343121

TOUCH SCREEN BLANK, MCU FAILED. NO REAR BACKUP CAMERA, TURN SIGNALS, AIR CONDITIONING. SLOW TO START, CREEP MODE FAILED AMONG OTHER PROBLEMS.

NHTSA ODI 11343197

THE TOUCHSCREEN FOR MY 2016 TESLA MODEL S HAS BECOME DEAD AND IS COMPLETELY BLANK. I SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT IT'S A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM WITH 'OLDER' TESLA MODEL S AND IT COSTS UPWARDS OF $2000 TO REPLACE THE MCU. I ALSO READ ONLINE THAT NHTSA HAS APPARENTLY STARTED AN INVESTIGATION ALREADY. PLEASE COUNT ME IN FOR ANY SUPPORT DOCUMENTS ETC NEEDED. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR SUCH A EXPENSIVE REPAIR FOR AN ELECTRONIC PART SUDDENLY DYING ON ME IN LESS THAN 5 YEARS AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE. PLEASE HELP!!!

NHTSA ODI 11342881

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE MCU SCREEN MALFUNCTIONED AND WENT INTO A DEFAULT MODE. DUE TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO USE MULTIPLE SAFETY AND ELECTRICAL FEATURES USED TO SAFELY OPERATE THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER HAD YET TO BE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD YET TO BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,000.

NHTSA ODI 11342979

MY MEDIA CONTROL UNIT FAILED IN THE VEHICLE MAKING IT UNSAFE TO OPERATE AS THE TURN SIGNALS, DEFROST, HEADLIGHT CONTROLS, AMONG MANY OTHER FEATURES OF THE VEHICLE WERE NO LONGER ACCESSIBLE OR FUNCTIONING.

NHTSA ODI 11343083

THE MCU FAILED WHILE WE WERE TRAVELING, WHICH BASICALLY LOCKED THE CLIMATE CONTROL, ACCESS TO SUSPENSION, SPEED CONTROL, AUTOPILOT, NAVIGATION, RADIO, TURN SIGNALS, AND BACK UP CAMERA.

NHTSA ODI 11343085

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, TOUCHSCREEN/MEDIA CONTROL UNIT BECOME BLACK AND MY 2015 TESLA MODEL S LOST REAR VIEW CAMERA FUNCTIONTIONALITY ALONG WITH OTHER THINGS.*DT TESLA SUGGESTED ME TO DO SOFT/HARD REBOOT THE SYSTEM BUT IT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. THEN, I WAS SUGGESTED BY TESLA TO VISIT THE SERVICE CENTER AND REPLACE THE MCU OR UPGRADE TO MCU2 AT MY OWN COST. LOSING REAR VIEW CAMERA FUNCTIONALITY IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE AND IT LOOKS LIKE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. THERE IS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION (HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/INV/2020/INOA-PE20010-4553.PDF) AND IT LOOKS LIKE EMMC MEMORY WEAR-OUT IS SUSPECTED AS A CAUSE.

NHTSA ODI 11342748

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

THE SCREEN DOES NOT TURN ON. MCU HAS FAILED. WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE REAR VIEW CAMERA, DEFROST FUNCTION(ESP WHEN RAINING, THIS IS A BIG SAFETY CONCERN WITH NOT HAVING VISIBILITY), CAN NOT TURN OFF AC(RUNS WHILE CAR IS OFF), REAR BACK UP CAMERA DOES NOT WORK. CAN NOT USE THE TESLA PHONE APP TO USE THE FUNCTIONS, CAN NOT SET CHARGING. RANGE. THE NHTSA HAS OPENED A INVESTIGATION IN JUNE 2020 AND IS ON GOING.

NHTSA ODI 11342846

MCU FAILURE LIKE NUMEROUS OTHER PRE 2018 TESLA'S. ABLE TO OPEN DOORS, BUT MAIN SCREEN DOES NOT COME IN EVEN AFTER RESET. NO VEHICLE OPTIONS AVAILABLE, INCLUDING SWITCHING FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE. FORTUNATELY, VEHICLE IN THE GARAGE WHEN FOUND TO BE NON OPERABLE. SET UP APPOINTMENT THROUGH THE TESLA APP AND TESLA ORDERED A NEW MCU IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT ANY CONTACT WITH ME.

NHTSA ODI 11342495

SCREEN WENT BLACK. NO NAVIGATION. NO RADIO. NO BLUETOOTH. MCU1 IS OUT.

NHTSA ODI 11342525

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TOUCHSCREEN WAS INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TESLA SERVICE CENTER (1580 CHURCH ST, DECATUR, GA 30033) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE MEDIA CONTROL UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,270.

NHTSA ODI 11342529

WENT TO THE CAR ONE MORNING, WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE DOORS BUT FOUND THE PRIMARY SCREEN WAS COMPLETELY BLANK AND NON FUNCTIONAL. UNABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE OUT OF PARK. FORTUNATELY THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE GARAGE AND NOT MOVING. SCHEDULED A REPAIR VISIT WITH TESLA WHO IMMEDIATELY ORDERED A MCU WHICH IS NOW KNOWN TO FAIL AFTER TIME IN ALL TESLA MODEL S'S AND X'S MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO A CERTAIN DATE. I NOW NEED TO ARRANGE FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE TOWED TO TESLA FOR THEM TO REPAIR A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11342145

2015 MODEL S WITH 48,000 MILES - TOUCHSCREEN STOPPED WORKED, NO ABILITY TO CONTROL CAR OR HAVE ACCESS TO REAR CAMERA. SCREEN IS TOTALLY BLACK, WITH NO OPTION TO RESET. I WANTED TO DOCUMENT AS THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE THE NHTSA IS CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING.

NHTSA ODI 11341858

THE MCU HAS A BLACK SCREEN A MONTH AGO. WHICH CAUSE ALMOST ALL CAR FUNCTIONS USELESS. SOME SAFETY FUNCTIONS SUCH AS TURN SIGNALS, AND BACKUP-CAMERA ARE NOT WORKING. CAR IS DRIVABLE BUT IT IS NOT SAFE WITHOUT STATED FUNCTIONS. CHARGING TAKES A VERY LONG TIME.

NHTSA ODI 11341931

TESLA TOUCHSCREEN WENT BLACK WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND I HAD TO DRIVE HOME WITHOUT POSSIBILITY TO CONTROL MOST OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE CAR SUCH AS LIGHTS, REAR VIEW CAMERA, ETC. THIS IS KNOWN AS THE TESLA MCU FAILURE. TESLA DOES NOT WANT TO OWN THIS ISSUE AND IS ASKING CUSTOMERS TO PAY 1,500$ TO REPLACE WITH A REFURBISHED MCU WHICH WILL PRESENT THE SAME ISSUE 2-3 YEARS FROM INSTALLATION.

NHTSA ODI 11341961

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MEDIA CONTROL UNIT WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT REACHED OUT TO THE MOBILE REPAIR UNIT AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER. THE CONTACT REFERENCED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE20010 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, BACK OVER PREVENTION). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,582.

NHTSA ODI 11341610

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MCU (MEDIA CONTROL UNIT) FAILED TO FUNCTION AS DESIGNED OR DISPLAY AN IMAGE ONSCREEN. THE DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO USE THE BACK-UP CAMERA, THE SPEEDOMETER WAS NOT VIEWABLE AND OTHER FEATURES WERE NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TESLA OF HIGHLAND PARK LOCATED AT 1200 OLD SKOKIE VALLEY RD, HIGHLAND PARK, IL 60035, WHO INDICATED THAT THE MCU NEEDED TO BE REPLACED HOWEVER, THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000. VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11341668

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED INDEPENDNETLY. THE MEDIA CONTROL UNIT (MCU) BECAME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO TESLA LOCATED AT 8500 TYCO RD, VIENNA, VA 2218, (703) 761-4679, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE MCU FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS PROVIDED AN ESTIMATE FOR THE MCU REPLACEMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 65,132.

NHTSA ODI 11341676