Tesla Recall: 158,000 Vehicles Affected by Touchscreen Issues

Federal safety authorities have requested Tesla to recall 158,000 vehicles due to malfunctions in the media control unit, which can cause the touchscreen displays to become inoperable. This action follows an extended investigation conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation determined that a failing media control unit presents a safety concern because essential functions, such as the rearview camera, and controls for defrost and defogging, cease to operate. Additionally, audible alerts – including those for turn signal activation and those used to notify drivers when the Autopilot driver-assistance system is active – are also lost. Reports concerning the sudden failure of these MCUs have been circulating within Tesla online communities for several years.

Investigators found that the issue stems from the limited storage capacity of a flash drive utilized in these vehicles. The only effective solution is a complete replacement of the hardware. The affected vehicles encompass Model S sedans manufactured between 2012 and 2018, and Model X SUVs produced from 2016 through 2018.

Tesla has not yet issued a public statement in response to the request for comment. However, the company did share information with NHTSA, which is detailed in the agency’s report. Tesla acknowledged to NHTSA that all of these units are destined to fail, given the finite storage capacity of the memory device. The automaker also provided a statistical projection of weekly MCU repair needs from 2020 through 2028. According to the report, Tesla anticipates that MCU failure replacement rates will be highest in early 2022 and will gradually decrease as the majority of units are replaced by 2028.

These vehicles are equipped with an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor incorporating an 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. Each time the vehicle is started, a portion of this 8GB storage is utilized. The agency states that the eMMC NAND cell hardware will fail once the storage capacity is exhausted, leading to MCU failure.

The lifespan of the eMMC NAND flash device is limited by the number of program/erase cycles it can endure, ultimately resulting in MCU failure due to memory degradation. Investigators calculated that the 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device has an expected lifespan of approximately 3,000 Program-Erase cycles, after which it will become unusable. With a daily usage rate of 1.4 cycles per block, reaching 3,000 P/E cycles would take between five and six years, according to the agency.

The agency has formally requested that Tesla begin a recall process to inform vehicle owners, purchasers, and dealerships about this safety defect and provide a means of resolution.