2021 Plaid was DOA this morning...

[Dameon]

Overall, I'm happy with car. Yeah, I don't like the driveline shimmy at ~45mph, but as long as it isn't damaging anything, I can live with it until a fix comes along.

I'm less happy with Tesla Service.

This morning, for no apparent reason and without warning, my car was dead dead. I parked it last night as normal and when I approached it this morning, the handles extended. It went downhill from there. When I got in, the DIC and MCU were black. No sounds like "door ajar dinging". No way to operate the garage door. The manual gear selection buttons have always been flaky... usually not responding to touch. No exception this morning. I tried scroll wheel resetting, but to no avail. I sat in the car trying different things... including trying to access the car via the mobile app (no dice). Eventually, I was able to get the manual gear selection buttons working, so I was able to complete my drive into town... albeit a cold, quiet drive (no heater controls and no music). I called Tesla Service to schedule a Ranger to come out and repair my $150K paperweight, but they said Rangers only come to Lafayette on Mondays and Tuesdays. WTF? When did this become a thing? They said to schedule an appointment in the app, which I did, but that wouldn't happen until 12/2. I'm not sure what functions my car currently lacks (since I have no feedback). Do the signals works? Not sure. Pushing the soft button doesn't seem to do anything. No tactile, no blinker sound (artificial from the MCU). Is it charging? Not sure. No DIC or app information. What's my battery level? Can I even supercharge with a dead MCU? What tells the supercharger network my car is authorized? What about the automatic headlights or wipers? The sensors likely report their status to the MCU.

Yeah, I'm not even sure my next car will be a Tesla with this kind of service response and this kind of failure on a brand new car. If Lucid produces a sedan with "pretty close" performance numbers, I'd consider it. Of course there's no guarantee they won't have the same service issues.

 

[ThomasD]

If the lights and defroster doesn't work that should be a safety issue. If it is also not charging I would just drop it off at the service center.

 

[Tam]

...WTF...

If you cannot clearly express why it's not drivable then you'll need to wait for the next appointment time because it's not justified for a tow.

If your car is legally undrivable then it should be at Tesla Service Center and should not be waited for the next appointment time.

...dead MCU...

A blank screen does not necessarily mean the rest of the driving functions are not working. A Model 3 owner beat up and destroyed the 15" screen but the car still functions without it.

You might want to see if your phone app can connect to your car so you can have some controls such as HVAC.

 

[Gandalf0]

Same thing happening with my 2021 LR, both screens dead, reset doesn’t do anything. The blinkers still work but you have no idea if they’re on or not it sucks. Also no heat and it’s freaking cold here. It has happened twice to my car and randomly fixes itself after an hour or so. I saw another post with other 2021 S owners having the same issue, so most likely a software issue that will get patched eventually. Until then I’m going to try to wake the car using my phone before driving.

 

[jebinc]

Overall, I'm happy with car. Yeah, I don't like the driveline shimmy at ~45mph, but as long as it isn't damaging anything, I can live with it until a fix comes along.

I'm less happy with Tesla Service.

This morning, for no apparent reason and without warning, my car was dead dead. I parked it last night as normal and when I approached it this morning, the handles extended. It went downhill from there. When I got in, the DIC and MCU were black. No sounds like "door ajar dinging". No way to operate the garage door. The manual gear selection buttons have always been flaky... usually not responding to touch. No exception this morning. I tried scroll wheel resetting, but to no avail. I sat in the car trying different things... including trying to access the car via the mobile app (no dice). Eventually, I was able to get the manual gear selection buttons working, so I was able to complete my drive into town... albeit a cold, quiet drive (no heater controls and no music). I called Tesla Service to schedule a Ranger to come out and repair my $150K paperweight, but they said Rangers only come to Lafayette on Mondays and Tuesdays. WTF? When did this become a thing? They said to schedule an appointment in the app, which I did, but that wouldn't happen until 12/2. I'm not sure what functions my car currently lacks (since I have no feedback). Do the signals works? Not sure. Pushing the soft button doesn't seem to do anything. No tactile, no blinker sound (artificial from the MCU). Is it charging? Not sure. No DIC or app information. What's my battery level? Can I even supercharge with a dead MCU? What tells the supercharger network my car is authorized? What about the automatic headlights or wipers? The sensors likely report their status to the MCU.

Yeah, I'm not even sure my next car will be a Tesla with this kind of service response and this kind of failure on a brand new car. If Lucid produces a sedan with "pretty close" performance numbers, I'd consider it. Of course there's no guarantee they won't have the same service issues.

@Dameon Trying to isolate the group of vins with the shimmy, like mine. What VIN is yours? Mine is MF439

@WilliamG

 

[PCMc]

You might want to see if your phone app can connect to your car so you can have some controls such as HVAc

OP stated they could not access the car from the app. Generally if the MCU is dead, then that means the car's communication with the app via the API is also dead/not functioning.

 

[Tam]

OP stated they could not access the car from the app. Generally if the MCU is dead, then that means the car's communication with the app via the API is also dead/not functioning.

Thanks. I glanced over and I missed it. My bad.

 

[Tam]

...schedule an appointment in the app, which I did, but that wouldn't happen until 12/2..

Headlights/signal lights/brake lights/parking lights: You might wait until nighttime to see clearly the results of whether they work or not. If Tesla doesn't respond promptly, it's a safety and legal issue that's reportable to NHTSA.

Since you can't see anything with your MCU, NHTSA calls MCU failure a safety issue because one of its parameters is you can't view your rearview camera (even though you can with a traditional mirror).

I think if your car is missing these features, it needs to be at the Service Center either by you driving to it or being towed.

 

[Bwettt]

My buddy’s plaid just did the same thing. Happened Friday night and is currently at service waiting to be seen Monday. He finally got it last Monday…..

 

[MayorMcCheese]

Same issue is currently happening to my Plaid. I've had it clear up after pulling the 12v in the frunk but it doesn't always work.

Been doing this for over a month now. Computer gets replaced tomorrow. Service response has not been good.

This morning it randomly came back up after 7 days of darkness. It's done this three times now after roughly 7 days. It'll go dark again I'm sure.

One oddity is that the app sort of works but not completely. The car animation continues to work if you open and close the doors, and you can pop the trunk and frunk and charge port this way. Useful but strange, as the app continues to report it can't contact the car for any other action and doesn't show current charge.

 

[DrDabbles]

Honestly, you're going to be very disappointed in Tesla's service. My nearest location is scheduling more than a month in advance, and is over an hour away one way. The second nearest is scheduling exactly 1 month out, and is obviously more than an hour away. It has been this way for years, and there's zero sign of it improving.

Welcome to the "My Next Car Won't Be a Tesla" club, though. Sadly the membership seems to be growing very quickly lately.

 

[TessP100D]

If you cannot clearly express why it's not drivable then you'll need to wait for the next appointment time because it's not justified for a tow.

If your car is legally undrivable then it should be at Tesla Service Center and should not be waited for the next appointment time.



A blank screen does not necessarily mean the rest of the driving functions are not working. A Model 3 owner beat up and destroyed the 15" screen but the car still functions without it.

You might want to see if your phone app can connect to your car so you can have some controls such as HVAC.

If the screen is black, it’s not safe to drive. That what the National Safety Board already said. I agree.

 

[TessP100D]

Same thing happening with my 2021 LR, both screens dead, reset doesn’t do anything. The blinkers still work but you have no idea if they’re on or not it sucks. Also no heat and it’s freaking cold here. It has happened twice to my car and randomly fixes itself after an hour or so. I saw another post with other 2021 S owners having the same issue, so most likely a software issue that will get patched eventually. Until then I’m going to try to wake the car using my phone before driving.

Ahh. The joys of a owning a Tesla.

 

[Dameon]

If the lights and defroster doesn't work that should be a safety issue. If it is also not charging I would just drop it off at the service center.

I was able to verify the lights did work in this "offline" mode. As do the external markers, like turning signals, but I can't easy tell from within the car that they are on or not. The tactile buttons for signals have always been hit or miss. Sometimes I press them and it will blink once (flash to pass?) and other times they don't come on at all. When the DIC is working, I can see if the signals are actually on.

Definately no way to turn on A/C or defroster without the MCU. So yes, that wasn't working. Likely a safety issue if the defroster would become necessary. In my case, it wasn't.

Nearest Service Center is in New Orleans... 2 hours away. They've told me before that they won't pick up the car, repair it and drop it back off. That means I'd have to get it there by my own means... pay a tow truck to get it that and back, or risk driving it. Since this happened on a Friday, they wouldn't even lay eyes on it until Monday (today).

 

[Dameon]

If you cannot clearly express why it's not drivable then you'll need to wait for the next appointment time because it's not justified for a tow.

A blank screen does not necessarily mean the rest of the driving functions are not working.

You might want to see if your phone app can connect to your car so you can have some controls such as HVAC.

Not sure what the first statement means... drivable is relative. As I originally stated, I was able to drive it by eventually getting the manual gear selection soft buttons to function. My concern was the number of MCU controls functions that weren't working... like all of them. I was able to drive at the most basic level.

As originally stated, the app could not connect. The necessary security information (VPN keys, URL for Tesla HQ, etc.) are maintained on the eMMC in the MCU. If the MCU is dead, so is all connectivity to Skynet.

 

[Dameon]

Same thing happening with my 2021 LR, both screens dead, reset doesn’t do anything. The blinkers still work but you have no idea if they’re on or not it sucks. Also no heat and it’s freaking cold here. It has happened twice to my car and randomly fixes itself after an hour or so. I saw another post with other 2021 S owners having the same issue, so most likely a software issue that will get patched eventually. Until then I’m going to try to wake the car using my phone before driving.

Thanks for responding and confirming this is a "known issue" at least by 2021 Model S owners. Your issue seems to match mine exactly... only mine didn't come back in an hour.

 

[Dameon]

@Dameon Trying to isolate the group of vins with the shimmy, like mine. What VIN is yours? Mine is MF439

You have a Plaid on 19's and have the ~45mph shimmy? Although I haven't been following the thread for this, yours is the first 19" tires I've heard of with the problem. So that eliminates tires/wheels as the issue. I never suspected that anyway, but others did. My Service Manager at the New Orleans Service Center drove my car and felt the "shimmy". He noted it in my records for any future fallout. My VIN is MF432. Ordered 10/2020.

 

[Dameon]

Honestly, you're going to be very disappointed in Tesla's service. My nearest location is scheduling more than a month in advance, and is over an hour away one way. The second nearest is scheduling exactly 1 month out, and is obviously more than an hour away. It has been this way for years, and there's zero sign of it improving.

Welcome to the "My Next Car Won't Be a Tesla" club, though. Sadly the membership seems to be growing very quickly lately.

This isn't my first Model S. I bought a P90D when they first came out (late 2015) and was very happy with the Ranger service. Available 5 days a week and they were usually at my house within 48 hours of scheduling. That response has diminished significantly in the last couple of years. I guess as more cars get owners, the Rangers get busier and busier. Apparently, Tesla is not keeping up hiring with demand. My nearest Service Center is 2 hours one way (New Orleans) or 3 hours one way (Houston). It's a whole day affair to visit either one.

Depending on the final look, size and performance of the Lucid Dream, that might be an option for me.

 

[Dameon]

My buddy’s plaid just did the same thing. Happened Friday night and is currently at service waiting to be seen Monday. He finally got it last Monday…..

Yikes! I feel even worse for him as he only got to enjoy a week before problems started.

 

[Dameon]

Same issue is currently happening to my Plaid. I've had it clear up after pulling the 12v in the frunk but it doesn't always work.

Been doing this for over a month now. Computer gets replaced tomorrow. Service response has not been good.

This morning it randomly came back up after 7 days of darkness. It's done this three times now after roughly 7 days. It'll go dark again I'm sure.

One oddity is that the app sort of works but not completely. The car animation continues to work if you open and close the doors, and you can pop the trunk and frunk and charge port this way. Useful but strange, as the app continues to report it can't contact the car for any other action and doesn't show current charge.

So last night about 8:30pm, my SM in New Orleans texted me and said my car was now online. I ran out to the garage and it was! So my outage was about 48 hours. I checked everything... DIC, MCU, phone app, all were working normally.

Since the car was back online, he pulled all diagnostic logs and they only thing he found out of sorts was a report of USB file corruption on the Sentry drive (factory Tesla USB drive) in the glovebox. So I pulled that last night and (so far) no issues. We'll see if that holds. If so, I'm surprised the MCU can't get past a simple Linux fsck to verify/ignore attached filesystem issues.