2013 Tesla Model S Visibility Problems

The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the center display screen malfunctioned, causing the rearview camera to intermittently fail. Additionally, the failure caused a delay while switching gears to drive(D) and to park(P). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined through the Tesla App that the VCM daughterboard needed to be replaced with one containing an enhanced eMMC controller. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 95,500.

NHTSA ID

11505178

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

Mileage

95,500 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). The contact stated that the recall repair was performed twice however, the vehicle experienced an unknown computer failure. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the seats moved independently. The contact was unaware of a warning light being illuminated. The contact stated that the driver’s side seat would revert to the seat settings of the second driver independently while the vehicle was in motion. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the eMMC controller needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure occurred again and the eMMC controller was replaced a second time. The failure persisted. The failure mileage was 123,864.

NHTSA ID

11485517

Incident

Oct 7, 2021

Mileage

123,864 mi

17 inch main Screen is bubbling and leaking fluid

NHTSA ID

11470168

Incident

Jun 1, 2022

Wiper motor linkage on these vehicles break, leaving only the driver side wiper functional.

NHTSA ID

11464417

Incident

May 12, 2022

I brought in the car to be parked as part of NHTSA Recall No. 21V-035. The "fix" provided has led to my center console in the Model S to shutdown completely. I contacted Tesla to inform them that their fix as part of the recall has actually led to more problems.

NHTSA ID

11461840

Incident

Apr 22, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11453426

Incident

Feb 15, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) unit became inoperable causing the vehicle to stall. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the VCM unit needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then stated 18 months later, he received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V035000 (Back over prevention, Visibility, Exterior lighting). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11423549

Incident

Aug 12, 2019

Mileage

120,000 mi

BACKING UP MCU FAIL BACKUP CAMERA FAILED ALMOST BACK ON A KID RAN BEHIND MY CAR WHILE I WAS LOOKING DOWN AT A DISABLED SCREEN. DRIVING TO TESLA SERVICE DEPARTMENT MAIN SCREEN FAILED DUE TO COMPUTER CAR CRIPPLED TO MINIMAL SAFETY CONTROL. CAR NOW IN SERVICE TESLA REQUIRE ME TO PAY $1500 FOR NEW MCU2 INSTEAD OF RECALLING AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE MCU.

NHTSA ID

11389928

Incident

Jan 25, 2021

MY VEHICLE HAS THE ISSUE WITH THE EMMC CHIP BEING TOO SMALL TO HANDLE ALL THE LOGGING TESLA WAS DOING AND NOW IT'S STARTING TO FAIL. WHEN IT COMPLETELY FAILS I WON'T BE ABLE TO DEFOG THE WINDSHIELD, THE HEAT AND AC WON'T WORK, THE TURN SIGNALS WON'T WORK AND I WON'T BE ABLE TO CHARGE THE VEHICLE. I GOT AN EMAIL FROM TESLA SAYING MY CAR DOESN'T QUALIFY CAR THE WARRANTY ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM DUE TO MILES BUT IT'S WITHIN THE YEARS. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL REGARDLESS OF MILES. TESLA DOUBLING THE AMOUNT OF LOGGING CAUSED EXCESSIVE WEAR ON THE EMMC. THE FAILURE IS A SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11375033

Incident

Oct 10, 2020

Mileage

145,000 mi

I OWN A 2013 TESLA MODEL S THAT HAS LOST THE MCU AND WILL NO LONGER CHARGE. IN ADDITION, THE MCU CAUSES THE TOUCH SCREEN TO OPEN VERY SLOWLY. I HAVE COMPLAINED AND TESLA WOULD NOT REPLACE THE MCU AND NOT COMPENSATE ME FOR THE INABILITY TO CHARGE THE CAR. THE ORIGINAL COMPLAINT WAS THAT THE TOUCHSCREEN WOULD NOT COME ON AT ALL. I COULD NOT SEE ANY INFORMATION WHATSOEVER, DURING TESLA'S ATTEMPT TO FIX THE SCREEN, I LOST THE ABILITY TO CHARGE THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

11374941

Incident

Jun 15, 2020

Mileage

115,000 mi

THE MAIN/CENTER SCREEN BLACKS OUT ON MY TESLA, WHICH IS WHERE ALL THE CAR CONTROLS AND BACK-UP CAMERA IS VIEWED. EVEN WHEN IT DOESN'T COMPLETELY BLACK OUT, THE BACK UP CAMERA DOESN'T FUNCTION AS IT JUST STAYS FROZEN A LOT OF THE TIME. OUTSIDE OF THE BACKUP CAMERA ISSUES, ALL OTHER FUNCTIONS, LIKE TURNING ON OR OFF HEADLIGHTS IS ALSO IMPACTED. AT OTHER TIMES IT SEEMS LIKE IT IMPACTS CHARGING THE CAR, WHICH CAN LEAVE ME DEAD IF I CANNOT CHARGE. OTHER FUNCTIONS HAVE ALSO BEEN IMPACTED LIKE TURNING AIR CONDITIONING AND NAVIGATION, HOWEVER NOT NECESSARILY SAFETY ISSUES. THESE ISSUES HAVE HAPPENED WHILE SITTING IN MY GARAGE TRYING TO LEAVE, CHARGING MY CAR AT A TESLA CHARGING STATION, DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY OR STREETS. I ESTIMATE THEY HAVE BEEN HAPPENING SINCE ABOUT 60K MILES AND HAVE PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE.

NHTSA ID

11374928

Incident

Nov 14, 2020

Mileage

60,000 mi

THE MEDIA CONTROL UNIT (MCU) IN MY 2013 TESLA MODEL S STOPPED WORKING WHEN I REBOOTED THE CAR WHILE STATIONARY (COMMONLY NEEDED TO RESTORE LOST FUNCTIONALITY), APPARENTLY DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE EMBEDDED MULTI-MEDIA CARD (EMMC) MEMORY. AS PART OF THIS FAILURE, THE TURN SIGNALS DID NOT WORK WHEN I LATER WENT TO DRIVE THE CAR, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG DEFAULTED TO 'OFF' (PIC ATTACHED), AND THE HVAC SYSTEM (INCLUDING THE WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER) DEFAULTED TO AN UNKNOWN SETTING AND COULD NOT BE CONTROLLED (NEITHER BY THE DEAD MCU NOR THE SMARTPHONE APPLICATION), THOUGH THE CAR WAS OTHERWISE STILL DRIVEABLE. APPARENTLY, THE OEM EMMC HAD LIMITED RE-WRITE CAPABILITY AND A RELATIVELY HIGH RE-WRITE FREQUENCY; WHEN IT FAILED, IT NOT ONLY CREATED DRIVING SAFETY HAZARDS, BUT ALSO COST MORE THAN $1,000 TO REPAIR WHAT WAS PROBABLY AN INEXPENSIVE PART (UNDER $10) FOR THE OEM.

NHTSA ID

11363170

Incident

Oct 6, 2020

Mileage

69,000 mi

WAS SUPERCHARGING ABOUT 7 HOURS AWAY FROM HOME, MY SCREEN TURNED OFF AND WOULD NOT REBOOT.. THE DREADED MCU FAILURE EVERY TESLA OWNER FEARS, AND EVERY SERVICE CENTER PRETENDS DOES NOT EXIST. MY CAR WOULD NOT POWER OFF, AS WE WERE AT THE BEACH MY A/C WAS ON FULL BLAST. MY CAR WAS NOW DRIVEABLE WITH NO KEY, AND THE DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK WHATSOEVER. ANYONE WITH OR WITHOUT A KEY COULD JUST WALK UP TOUCH THE HANDLE AND GET INTO MY CAR. I HAD TO STAY CLOSE TO SUPERCHARGERS AS MY A/C DRAINED THE BATTERY HEAVILY. TESLA ESSENTIALLY TOLD ME THEY WOULD HAVE TO HAVE ME TAKE IT TO A SERVICE CENTER WHICH WERE CLOSED FOR THE NEXT 2 DAYS BECAUSE A MOBILE TECH WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO REPLACE IT ON SPOT. SO NOW I GET TO DRIVE 7 HOURS HOME IN THE MOST STRESSFUL SITUATION OF MY LIFE. AS WE GOT AWAY FROM THE COAST AND THE TEMPERATURE RAPIDLY DROPPED I HAD WATER POURING OFF MY WINDSHIELD AND DOWN THE SIDES OF MY CAR AND OUT OF MY AIR VENTS! IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE AND INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS. MY FIANCEE HAD TO KEEP A TOWEL IN HER LAP TO WIPE THE WINDSHIELD EVERY FEW SECONDS. PUTTING THE LACK OF VISIBILITY ASIDE AND SAFETY OF A VEHICLE THATS UNABLE TO LOCK. I HAD TO MANUALLY FIND ALL TESLA SUPERCHARGERS ALONG THE ROUTE I ALSO HAD TO GUESSTIMATE HOW MUCH CHARGE I WOULD NEED TO MAKE IT TO THE NEXT STATION WHICH WAS QUITE THE TASK DUE TO THE HIGH A/C DRAIN. AFTER OUR LAST CHARGING STOP WE HAD MAYBE 120 MILES TO GO AND I CHARGED TO 170ISH.. AT LEAST 50 MORE THAN NECESSARY. THERE WAS ONE POINT ON OUR TRIP WHERE WE HAD 16 MILES REMAINING AND 17 TO GO. SOMEHOW THROUGH A LITTLE HELP FROM THE MAN ABOVE WE MADE IT HOME WITH A COUPLE MILES TO SPARE. IT COMPLETELY ASTOUNDS ME THAT TESLA COULD JUST BRUSH OFF SUCH A HORRENDOUS FAILURE OF A VERY WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED ISSUE. IT'S NOT A CHANCE OF IF IT FAILS AS TO A MATTER OF WHEN. STOCK PRICES MATTER MORE THAN A CUSTOMERS SAFETY.

NHTSA ID

11363100

Incident

Aug 22, 2020

Mileage

90,000 mi

MCU MAIN COMPUTER FAILED, PREVENTED ME FROM USING DEFROST COULDN'T SEE WHILE DRIVING ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AS MY ENTIRE FRONT WINDOW VIEW GOT BLOCK. THE MCU ALLOWS YOU TO USE THE SCREEN WHICH LETS YOU TURN ON DEFROST. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS ALSO CONTROLS YOUR HEADLIGHTS.

NHTSA ID

11361430

Incident

May 1, 2020

Mileage

55,841 mi

THE DISPLAY SCREEN, WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO CONTROL THE ENTIRE VEHICLE, FAILS OVER TIME. IT IS A BIG PROBLEM SINCE THE CAR HAS NO BUTTONS AND EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE ON THE SCREEN. THE PROBLEM IS THIS ONE, AS MANY OTHER TESLA OWNERS HAVE HAD. HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/TMC/THREADS/MODEL-S-BLACK-HORIZONTAL-LINE-IN-MCU-SCREEN.193133/ THIS APPEARED ALL OF A SUDDEN, AND EVENTUALLY THE SCREEN WILL COMPLETELY FAIL MAKING THE CAR NOT USABLE.

NHTSA ID

11351157

Incident

Aug 25, 2020

Mileage

40,000 mi

MCU HAS BEEN MALFUNCTIONING. WITHOUT IT I CANNOT CONTROL CLIMATE, BACKUP CAMERA, RADIO, TURN SIGNALS, CHARGING, NAVIGATION, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER IMPORTANT FEATURES. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN ONGOING AND INTERMITTENT, BUT RECENTLY HAS BECOME MORE COMMON.

NHTSA ID

11349542

Incident

Aug 14, 2020

Mileage

195,000 mi

TOUCHSCREEN WENT OUT. ACCORDING TO THEIR SYSTEM THIS IS STILL A 'DRIVEABLE' CAR AND NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT TO THEM. THE BLINKERS AND HEADLIGHTS ARE CONTROLLED THROUGH THIS AS ARE MANY OTHER FEATURES.

NHTSA ID

11337351

Incident

Jun 19, 2020

Mileage

125,000 mi

MCU1 WITH EMMC IS DEAD, WHICH CAUSES LOSS OF CENTER SCREEN CONTROLS, THUS YOU HAVE NO CONTROLS OVER INTERIOR DEFROSTING OR FOGGING TO KEEP FROM HAVING LOSS OF VISIBILITY. IN ADDITION THERE IS NO BACKUP CAMERA. ALSO THE CAR WILL NO LONGER CHARGE PAST ABOUT 20% LEAVING YOU STRANDED. CAR WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN SCREEN WENT OUT AND WOULD NOT COME BACK. LAST AUGUST I HAD TO GET THE SCREEN REPLACED FOR 1100.00 NOW THIS REPAIR WILL COST 1600.00 AND IT COMES WITH ANOTHER SCREEN. THEY WILL NOT JUST FIX THE EMMC, P/N THAT IS ORDERED FOR THE REPAIR INCLUDES A NEW SCREEN THAT I DON'T NEED. I DECLINED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR AT THIS TIME TO WAIT UNTIL MCU2 IS AVAILABLE, THEN A FEW DAYS LATER MY CAR WILL NO LONGER EVEN CHARGE. WELL IT CHARGES EXTREMELY SLOW TO A MAXIMUM OF 46 MILES. THEY SAY THE BATTERY AND DRIVE UNIT IS FINE SO GUESS WHAT, NO WARRANTY FOR ANYTHING ELSE FOR ALL THIS.

NHTSA ID

11331294

Incident

Jun 2, 2020

Mileage

102,000 mi

MY SCREEN AND BACK-UP CAMERA BOTH FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID

11330610

Incident

Feb 7, 2020

THE MAIN TOUCHSCREEN ON MY 2012 TESLA S HAS STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY- TOTALLY BLANK, RESULTING IN NO REARWARD FACING CAMERA, LOWER CHARGING RATES, NO CONTROL OVER SUSPENSION HEIGHT OR STEERING STIFFNESS; NO A/C, NO HEAT, NO SUNROOF CONTROLS, NO WIFI, NO BLUETOOTH AND NO CELLULAR; NO MAP, NO GPS. NO RADIO. *TR

NHTSA ID

11330544

Incident

Jun 21, 2020

ON 9/5/19 MY MCU (MEDIA CONTROL UNIT) (THE MAIN COMPUTER IN MY CAR) DIED. AS A RESULT, I WAS UNABLE TO: 1. MANUALLY POWER OFF THE VEHICLE AND PLACE IN TOW MODE 2. TURN ON PARKING LIGHTS, TURN ON/OFF HEADLIGHTS 3. TRIGGER ON/OFF CHILD PROTECTION LOCKS ADDITIONALLY, 1. ALL HEATING, COOLING, DEFROST, AND DEFOGGING WAS DISABLED I'VE READ THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH MODEL S/X CARS ON MULTIPLE FORUMS INCLUDING HTTPS://TESLAMOTORSCLUB.COM/ & HTTPS://FORUMS.TESLA.COM. I BELIEVE THE REASON IS SHOWN HERE HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=O-7B1WAOJ9Q. START AT 8:40. THIS IS QUITE WORRISOME, AS IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THIS FAILURE WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IN A FEW YEARS. IT WAS A HOT DAY AND NOT ONLY WAS IT UNBEARABLY INSIDE MY CAR, HOWEVER, MORE IMPORTANTLY, MANY OF THE KEY SAFETY FUNCTIONS (SEE ABOVE) WERE ALSO DISABLED DUE TO THIS FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

11257209

Incident

Sep 5, 2019

Mileage

64,500 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TESLA MODEL S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR WINDOWS IN THE VEHICLE BECAME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO THE PARTS NOT BEING SOLD. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000.

NHTSA ID

10855286

Incident

Feb 23, 2015

Mileage

18,000 mi