lost all steering wheel functions

[geordi]

Really starting to get annoyed with the lack of software quality.

I'm on (another) road trip and just had the entire MCU replaced in Minneapolis. I get through Missouri (and my client there) and a few more days traveling, get to Texas. And then today... Huh, why can't I change the radio volume? Odd behavior, so I do the scroll button reset, everything comes back up and seems to be normal.

A little while later I'm on a supercharger and I get an alert about air conditioning performance reduced. After unplugging and not getting any cooling (in 100 degree temps!) I do another soft reboot and it doesn't want to clear. Do a hard boot and it clears, but now... I get maybe ONE SECOND of functionality from the steering wheel buttons just as I'm waking the car up / flicking the stalk to turn it on, after that I don't have ANY buttons on the steering wheel reacting. No horn, nothing.

The fact that they worked for a second or so proves that it isn't a hardware issue. Anyone have any experience like this?

 

[ChadS]

Not exactly like that...but the steering wheel buttons on my wife's Dec 2017 X 100D seem to work sometimes but not others. She says that once a reboot and once a firmware update made things better...for a while.

 

[geordi]

Your wife may end up with the same thing that I am having done on Friday now, the service center virtual support in Texas was able to see that it seems to be the control module for the steering wheel which is mounted in the steering column and apparently carries everything in addition to the clockspring functions.

Surprisingly, it seems like it’s a fairly inexpensive component at only 300 and change.

 

[geordi]

What a waste of time. I described it fully in the support request. I sent pictures and video evidence. I spent over an hour on the phone with a support tech.

The diagnostic suggestion was that it needed a module which the tech said controlled the stalk switches on the steering column. The steering column control module. I specifically asked virtual support if that module also handled the six buttons on the wheel and the horn. Yes it does he said.

Two hours after dropping it off for service, they are not able to do anything because the steering column control module does not control the six buttons and the horn!!!!! according to them, I need an airbag. And they do not have it.

What I need, most likely, is the clockspring! apparently, this car does not have a separate clockspring. I find this extremely difficult to believe. Especially since I have not had an accident and my airbag has not deployed. Elon thoughts: “But airbags are way more expensive! We can make more profit!”

What a massive waste of time.

 

[geordi]

So in the instructions for replacing the steering wheel, there IS mention of a clockspring. But more troubling, it would seem that the airbag itself might include the control buttons on the sides. That's annoying if true. From the service manual, this is the "remove airbag" step after removing the two screws behind the wheel.

Why am I somehow not surprised that they would make this into a whole unit, which will MASSIVELY increase the cost for replacing 6 fecking buttons.

 

[mxnym]

What's worse is the new one will be much uglier than the one on your 16 X. In 16 and 17, they were nice and smooth, possibly vegan leather vs a molded cover. Sometime later (not sure how long, but I noticed it in loaners), they switched to a molded cover that has a cheap fake leather texture similar to what you'd see in a 90's model Dodge dashboard or interior door panel shoulder than anything actually resembling leather.

 

[geordi]

That may not actually be as much of an issue. I did see a vegan option listed for both the steering wheel and airbag in EPC as I was playing around. But what I did not see was a separate clockspring part.

I also did NOT see the buttons at all. Under the restraint section was the airbag and it was just the trapezoid shape by itself. Which is good, because as that has not exploded in my face, it doesn’t need to be replaced. That does suggest that the buttons are a separate component. I’m still dubious that they are the actual problem but because the horn button doesn’t work either… I don’t know. I probably just need to take the thing apart and play with it.

Part of my problem is that I went through the service mode tonight and the steering angle registers and shows movement when I turn the wheel. That is as it should be, but I would have thought that was reading from the clockspring. Maybe it’s just the contacts on the clock spring that actually translate the switches, hopefully that is something that I can just clean a ring and it starts to work again… I don’t know yet

 

[brainhouston]

a quick search at ur friendly ebay shows all separate parts
clockspring has clear top so easy to see if broken
when my bmw one broke it was a big mess inside instead of a nicely wound ribbon cable (tesla seem to have same design)

 

[geordi]

That's what I'm hoping to see when I have the chance to pull the wheel off. If the clockspring is a hairball, then "well there's your problem!" otherwise more diagnostics will be needed. For giggles I might pull the wheel off my S and try swapping that in, that would show if it was the buttons or not (don't think so since they ALL died at the same instant) but I strongly suspect it is the clockspring. If it isn't an addressed part and the airbag has its own wires separately (I have no airbag warning lights) then that strongly points at the clockspring too.

One issue I have is WHEN the buttons all died - the air conditioner had been de-rated (disabled) by the computer b/c it was getting a weird result from the pressure sensor while I was at a supercharger and the outside temps were over 100. Powering the car off did NOT clear the error, so I had to pull the fireman's loop and the ground cable from the LV battery. Unfortunately the ground bolt was being difficult and longer than it needs to be (I had to replace it) and it was sparking a bit as I was trying to get it unscrewed from that lousy location. This *might* have annoyed a module with repeated boot-up and power loss during booting... But that shouldn't have bothered a clockspring.

I now have a disconnect switch on that ground cable, which might be some of the "aftermarket things!" that the idiots at the service center were whining about today while deciding that they didn't actually have the parts for fixing this that they thought they might.

 

[geordi]

So the service visit was a waste the first time - but my time in this city has dragged on and I got bored, so I thought I'd go back and just buy the SCCM over the counter and try to put it in myself. There IS a clockspring in the SCCM and it isn't a separate component. So that's one thing proven from the service droid not knowing what she was talking about before.

Had a long conversation with a service manager who seems actually dedicated to improving the customer service profile of the company. (I wish him MUCH luck, he's gonna need it). He was also saying the proper thing is a replacement airbag - because the switches are part of the airbag.
Here's the thing.... They aren't. They are part (screwed in so they don't HAVE to be) of the bezel AROUND the airbag, but they aren't the airbag itself of course. I pulled the wheel off and the clockspring looked just like the new one so there's no joy there, it is probably the switches b/c it seems like there might be a central IC under the airbag.

Do they sell the switches? Of course not! Do they sell the bezel? NOPE! They sell the AIRBAG (but NOT over the counter!) and it's a..... wait for it..... One THOUSAND dollar replacement. Because OF COURSE IT IS!

So for $30 of Chinese switches, your only option with them is replacing the entire airbag "module" that isn't a module, it's a screwed-in-and-spring-loaded airbag trapezoid attached to the cheap plastic bezel and buttons that you actually want. THIS is why people hate Tesla. Because they have to reinvent the fecking wheel at every turn, and make it a thousand bucks every time.

Oh, you need a shock for your car? That's $985. The brakes? (which you really shouldn't get them from a dealer anyway) That's $1100, for the pads that cost us $85 per axle. Glass for the roof, that's a rectangle 18x24 inches? $1200. Each.
They are idiots.

I've ordered a bezel with buttons for $200 off Ebay b/c it will arrive just as I get back from this road trip, otherwise I'd have gotten ONLY the buttons from a Chinesium supplier for $55, but that would have likely taken the better part of a month to arrive. The only question I have is about the horn button, b/c it doesn't seem like there IS a button but maybe it is part of the wiring hidden by the airbag itself. The boom boom doesn't make beeping, it only has the scary yellow wires going to it.

 

[brainhouston]

this is why i prefer to buy used oem ebay parts vs tesla, although some are very overpriced on ebay so have to check always...

it looks like horn might be part of retaining bracket:

 

[geordi]

I agree that the horn is probably part of that retainer. What I also see in the pictures of what I bought is what PROBABLY is the source of all my buttons failing at the same moment: Another damned ECU! This one doesn't seem to be referenced anywhere in EPC, probably so that they can sell the customer a terribly overpriced airbag that they don't need when it hasn't blown up in their face, to replace a crap circuit. arrrrrggggghhhhhh. Contact switches have only worked since Edison invented electricity. Fecking Elon and his overcomplicating things!

 

[brainhouston]

eBay thinks maybe steering wheel heat?..
have u looked at schematics?

 

[geordi]

Hmm - I didn't see anything in EPC, and while I don't have a heated wheel right now, that's something that I might be interested in for the future if it's a possible upgrade. I think I'd probably still need different SCCM if there's another plug or more pins- but that's a tomorrow problem. Right now I want to know it is working.

Extra parts are OK if I don't need them (right now) and I didn't disassemble my bezel b/c I still have to drive home with the car at the moment.

 

[WL26]

Hmm - I didn't see anything in EPC, and while I don't have a heated wheel right now, that's something that I might be interested in for the future if it's a possible upgrade. I think I'd probably still need different SCCM if there's another plug or more pins- but that's a tomorrow problem. Right now I want to know it is working.

Extra parts are OK if I don't need them (right now) and I didn't disassemble my bezel b/c I still have to drive home with the car at the moment.

HI, did you get to the bottom of this? I’ve got the same issue. Tried replacing the buttons but didn’t work, tested clock spring and it’s ok. Not sure what to try next!

 

[Altes]

This is the same as the failures on the model S which I have had 5 times in 8 years. I replaced the steering buttons and cable between each time and everything worked again (for a while). not sure why the steering wheel buttons dying disables the horn but replacing them gets the horn working again

 

[WL26]

This is the same as the failures on the model S which I have had 5 times in 8 years. I replaced the steering buttons and cable between each time and everything worked again (for a while). not sure why the steering wheel buttons dying disables the horn but replacing them gets the horn working again

I just replaced the buttons and the cable but it didnt fix the issue. Clock spring tested ok with multimeter. Not sure what else to try.

 

[geordi]

Sorry I didn't report back earlier.

So the part that I got from Ebay was perfect, it DOES have the heated steering wheel ECU. I also discovered that yes the buttons CAN be replaced separately (with a bit of fiddling and unscrewing) and the two button pads and the horn are all linked together and NOT connected to that heated wheel ECU. The horn is a couple of contact switches under the airbag. The two button pads and the crossover cable would seem to be the key parts.

If replacing the buttons and the cable didn't solve your issue, the only other thing I can think of that seems likely here is the SCCM which has the clockspring integrated into it. I'm not sure how you were able to test it, but there's a lot more going on there than just simple voltage or resistance. Because of the potential for the heated wheel ECU in addition to the multiple wires for the buttons, it's clear that the SCCM is passing communication through.

 

[WL26]

Sorry I didn't report back earlier.

So the part that I got from Ebay was perfect, it DOES have the heated steering wheel ECU. I also discovered that yes the buttons CAN be replaced separately (with a bit of fiddling and unscrewing) and the two button pads and the horn are all linked together and NOT connected to that heated wheel ECU. The horn is a couple of contact switches under the airbag. The two button pads and the crossover cable would seem to be the key parts.

If replacing the buttons and the cable didn't solve your issue, the only other thing I can think of that seems likely here is the SCCM which has the clockspring integrated into it. I'm not sure how you were able to test it, but there's a lot more going on there than just simple voltage or resistance. Because of the potential for the heated wheel ECU in addition to the multiple wires for the buttons, it's clear that the SCCM is passing communication through.

Thanks! Yeah I replaced both buttons and the connecting cable. Issue stayed the same.

I removed the clock spring completely and took it apart to inspect for damage. Tested continuity on the individual pins. The ribbon cable in these can break. Continuity tested ok.

I think I need to source a new SCCM as the issue must be further down the line

i don’t have heated wheel so no ECU for that

 

[WL26]

Update on this for anyone having this issue in future. So it turns out the ’new’ buttons I sourced were actually faulty also!

I bought a new SCCM, installed it and refitted ring wheel with ‘new buttons - still no button function.

when researching this I found out you can upgrade to the heated wheel so I took the opportunity to order a heated SCCM instead of the non-heated one that was in my car. I also ordered a heated wheel (that just so happened to come with buttons also)

Thankfully I now had yet another set of buttons to try out. Swapped them out again and sure enough everything now worked.

So 2 sets of faulty buttons later I now have working steering wheel controls again.

Also the wheel I got was from a Raven model so it had the matte grey trim. Just left that on as I think it looks a bit more subtle than the chrome.