Photo: @RyanZohoury, @macman222 via X
Tesla is busy churning out software updates for its vehicles, with the FSD Beta V12.3 being the most talked about. The self-driving software is indeed good, but the latest update also caught people's attention after an unusually high number of failed updates. If you experienced a failed update, here is an easy way to troubleshoot it and restart the update process.
Software updates are among the most exciting and addictive features in modern vehicles. Although they are mundane in other tech domains, carmakers have been reluctant to offer them. Even today, most car models come with a fixed set of features that don't change over the vehicle's lifecycle. This is a direct consequence of thousands of components from various suppliers being used for every new car. With each of them using their own firmware, making a software update is a nightmare and a massive failure point.
Tesla has pioneered over-the-air (OTA) software updates in the automotive industry, mostly because it controls both software and hardware, thanks to impressive vertical integration. The success has encouraged other carmakers to try and offer similar features. Tesla is known as the leader in OTA updates and is appreciated for the quality of its software. However, nobody ever built perfect software, and Tesla is no exception. Every software update promises to fix some bugs. However, sometimes, updates also break things.
In the case of Tesla, software trackers and white-hat hackers noticed an increase in the number of failed updates, especially with the 2023.44.30.x builds. The issue was more prominent for Hardware-4 Tesla EVs. Based on stories shared by Tesla owners on social media, the car would download the update, but it gets stuck at 100%, and the update disappears after a short period. The software update later enters an endless loop, stopping at 50%, only for the update to reappear about every hour.
Resetting your Tesla using the standard procedure doesn't solve the issue. A look inside the Service Mode screen shows "Failing" under either bank A or bank B of the file system. Software magician Green (@greentheonly) confirmed last week that this is a staging failure, and they have become more widespread with the 2023.44.30.x builds. Usually, a subsequent update sent by Tesla appears to solve the issue, completing successfully.
However, there's a way to restart the same update, unblocking the update process. The method has been tipped by the software tracker account Teslascope and is as simple as entering Service Mode. To do this, go to the Software tab and hold down on the model name for about five seconds. You should find an option to "Reinstall Software," which should solve your failed install problem.
Alternatively, you can create a service request. However, with so many owners affected by the update bug, it will likely take a while before somebody takes care of you. It's best to try the Service Mode workaround first, and schedule an appointment only if this doesn't work.
Tesla has pioneered over-the-air (OTA) software updates in the automotive industry, mostly because it controls both software and hardware, thanks to impressive vertical integration. The success has encouraged other carmakers to try and offer similar features. Tesla is known as the leader in OTA updates and is appreciated for the quality of its software. However, nobody ever built perfect software, and Tesla is no exception. Every software update promises to fix some bugs. However, sometimes, updates also break things.
In the case of Tesla, software trackers and white-hat hackers noticed an increase in the number of failed updates, especially with the 2023.44.30.x builds. The issue was more prominent for Hardware-4 Tesla EVs. Based on stories shared by Tesla owners on social media, the car would download the update, but it gets stuck at 100%, and the update disappears after a short period. The software update later enters an endless loop, stopping at 50%, only for the update to reappear about every hour.
Resetting your Tesla using the standard procedure doesn't solve the issue. A look inside the Service Mode screen shows "Failing" under either bank A or bank B of the file system. Software magician Green (@greentheonly) confirmed last week that this is a staging failure, and they have become more widespread with the 2023.44.30.x builds. Usually, a subsequent update sent by Tesla appears to solve the issue, completing successfully.
However, there's a way to restart the same update, unblocking the update process. The method has been tipped by the software tracker account Teslascope and is as simple as entering Service Mode. To do this, go to the Software tab and hold down on the model name for about five seconds. You should find an option to "Reinstall Software," which should solve your failed install problem.
Alternatively, you can create a service request. However, with so many owners affected by the update bug, it will likely take a while before somebody takes care of you. It's best to try the Service Mode workaround first, and schedule an appointment only if this doesn't work.
You can enter Service Mode by going to the Software tab and holding down on the Model name for 3-5 seconds. Then look for “Reinstall Software”.
— Teslascope (@teslascope) March 24, 2024
Alternatively, you can create a service request, although Tesla service centers are inundated with requests related to this issue.
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