Photo: Tesla
Tesla’s faith in OTA (over-the-air) updates is a remarkable thing. The company thought they could fix heat pumps and these components keep failing due to a design flaw. Now, the EV maker said it would repair a display malfunction caused by an overheating CPU in the infotainment central with a software update. After it did so with 129,960 cars in the U.S., it is recalling 107,293 more EVs in China.
Both in the American and Chinese recalls, the problem only affects vehicles produced in 2021, when Tesla was praised for getting rid of the chip shortage with creative solutions. In China, the issue started with EVs manufactured from October 19, 2021, onward.
The EV maker described the defect like this to SAMR (State Administration for Market Regulation), the Chinese authority for recalls:
“Some vehicles covered by this recall may not have adequately cooled the central processing unit of the infotainment system when preparing for or during DC fast charging, causing the central processing unit to slow down and display sluggishness on the central touchscreen display. At the same time, the CPU may restart, and the display cannot be displayed. When the above fault occurs, the reversing image, the setting of the windshield (defrosting, defogging, and wiper) functions, the driving gear display, and the indicator lights will not be able to be used normally.”
The proposed correction is using new codes to mitigate overheating. However, this is clearly something that vehicles made before 2021 did not present. Considering Tesla has used the ICE infotainment central since July 2017 – when the Model 3 made its premiere – anything related to software would include older versions of the Model 3 and Model Y.
The Model S and Model S adopted the ICE after the Plaid was presented. Before that, they used the MCU, which also had its fair share of defects and recalls, only with the eMMC flash memory card. That said, it is evident that the issue was due to a hardware change that was not sufficiently tested.
Overheating can be a pretty serious problem with hardware, damaging welds, circuits, and other elements. If these CPUs suffered physical damage due to high temperatures, Tesla would have to replace the infotainment central in the affected EVs. Thankfully, they are still under warranty.
In the Model 3 and Model Y, the ICE is the only screen available, responsible not only for crucial information but also for controlling essential functions of the cars. European Tesla customers that got their Model 3 or Model Y after October 2021 should also expect to be involved. Curiously, the Model S received the defective ICEs in February, while the Model X got them in June. Tesla investors will say the OTA update will solve everything. All others should prepare: new software will not end this story, as it has not in most other cases.
The EV maker described the defect like this to SAMR (State Administration for Market Regulation), the Chinese authority for recalls:
“Some vehicles covered by this recall may not have adequately cooled the central processing unit of the infotainment system when preparing for or during DC fast charging, causing the central processing unit to slow down and display sluggishness on the central touchscreen display. At the same time, the CPU may restart, and the display cannot be displayed. When the above fault occurs, the reversing image, the setting of the windshield (defrosting, defogging, and wiper) functions, the driving gear display, and the indicator lights will not be able to be used normally.”
The proposed correction is using new codes to mitigate overheating. However, this is clearly something that vehicles made before 2021 did not present. Considering Tesla has used the ICE infotainment central since July 2017 – when the Model 3 made its premiere – anything related to software would include older versions of the Model 3 and Model Y.
The Model S and Model S adopted the ICE after the Plaid was presented. Before that, they used the MCU, which also had its fair share of defects and recalls, only with the eMMC flash memory card. That said, it is evident that the issue was due to a hardware change that was not sufficiently tested.
Overheating can be a pretty serious problem with hardware, damaging welds, circuits, and other elements. If these CPUs suffered physical damage due to high temperatures, Tesla would have to replace the infotainment central in the affected EVs. Thankfully, they are still under warranty.
In the Model 3 and Model Y, the ICE is the only screen available, responsible not only for crucial information but also for controlling essential functions of the cars. European Tesla customers that got their Model 3 or Model Y after October 2021 should also expect to be involved. Curiously, the Model S received the defective ICEs in February, while the Model X got them in June. Tesla investors will say the OTA update will solve everything. All others should prepare: new software will not end this story, as it has not in most other cases.
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