MCU upgrade/replacement for early vehicles

[taco]

Just received an email saying that Tesla are doing a voluntary recall of the MCU1 and will be upgrading all affected cars to the 64gb emmc as parts become available.

 

[pts260]

Text of email:

Tesla has decided to voluntarily recall certain Model S and Model X vehicles built before March 2018 that are equipped with an 8GB embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) in the media control unit because the eMMC may malfunction due to accumulated wear. Our records show that you own a Model S or Model X affected by this recall.


If a malfunction occurs, you may experience a persistent blank center display that does not recover after restarting the touchscreen, loss of certain functionalities, and/or a vehicle alert to contact Service. There is no risk to vehicle drivability, including no effect on acceleration, braking or steering, and we are not aware of any accidents or injuries resulting from this condition.


If your vehicle is operating software release 2020.48.12 or newer and the eMMC malfunctions, then the rearview backup camera will remain available, the exterior turn signal lighting will remain functional, and the windshield defogging and defrosting controls will automatically default to a preset cabin temperature to ensure windshield visibility. If your vehicle is operating software older than 2020.48.12 and the eMMC malfunctions, then you may lose these functionalities. Please ensure that your vehicle is operating software release 2020.48.12 or a newer release. To find your current software release, complete an update or review a list of possible malfunctions, please visit our Support page. If the touchscreen is unavailable, then please perform a shoulder check and use your mirrors to back up safely.


Additionally, Tesla will upgrade, free of charge, the eMMC on your vehicle with an enhanced 64GB eMMC.There is no need at this time to contact us as we will notify you when the parts become available. We kindly ask that you do not schedule a service appointment unless you receive a vehicle alert signaling memory storage device degradation or are actively experiencing a persistent blank center display that does not recover after restarting the touchscreen. If you already paid for repairs that addressed the condition covered by this recall, you may be eligible for reimbursement. Tesla will share details about reimbursement and eligibility by the end of March 2021.


Thank you for being a Tesla customer, and we apologize for this inconvenience.

LEARN MORE


Most Common FAQ


Q: Is my Model S/X affected by this recall?
A: All owners can check if their VIN is affected at either the Tesla VIN Recall Search or the NHTSA VIN Recall Search.


Q: Is my car safe to drive?
A: There is no risk to vehicle drivability if the eMMC malfunctions, including no effect on acceleration, braking or steering. But if your vehicle is running software older than 2020.48.12 and the eMMC malfunctions, then you may lose access to the rearview backup camera display, exterior turn signal lighting, and access to windshield defogging and defrosting controls. If these functions are not available, drivers can continue to operate the vehicle by performing a shoulder check and using their mirrors, taking care when making turns, and assuring clear visibility when driving.


Q: How can I make an appointment for this recall?
A: If you are the registered owner, the only action you need to take at this time is to confirm that your vehicle is running software release 2020.48.12 or a newer release and, if it is not, to install the newest available release. There is no other immediate action that you need to take at this time, and you may continue to drive your vehicle. We will notify you when replacement parts are available. Until then, please do not schedule a Tesla Service appointment unless you receive a vehicle alert signaling memory storage device degradation or are actively experiencing a persistent blank center display that does not recover after restarting the touchscreen.


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[meloccom]

All we need now is an LTE and or 5G modem upgrade and I would be happy to stay with my MCU1 for the foreseeable future.

 

[possum22]

Q: Is my Model S/X affected by this recall?
A: All owners can check if their VIN is affected at either the Tesla VIN Recall Search or the NHTSA VIN Recall Search.

I put my VIN in the search box & got no recall. My MCU1 was replaced Oct'19.

Anyone got refunded for MCU replacement?

 

[bradjc]

I had the "Centre Screen Storage Degraded" message a few weeks ago. I booked it in to Brisbane Service, then did a lot of reading and research of others' experiences, replacing EMMC with 64GB board and with new MCU1. By the time I delivered it to service, I decided even if they replaced the whole MCU1 with another one - I'd need to also upgrade to LTE also, so I bit the bullet and paid the $4k - new MCU2.

It is so good, everything works FAST, voice controls are fast, accurate and work, web searches and youtube works well, can easily watch netflix, route planning almost instantaneously - the whole driving experience is more enjoyable.

Is it worth $4k? It is too much money really, it would be great value at 50% of that - but I'd do it again and I don't regret it.

I'm planning to keep my car for several years. Considering the capacity of the MCU2 and the fact that my car only has mono cam/AP1, not 8 cams and sentry mode - MCU 2 should future proof it for some time.

I recommend the MCU2 upgrade, if you can.

Hey @Vegas glad your MCU2 upgrade went well, I'm hoping for the same! I have a 2016 Model S with AP1 and have just booked a MCU2 upgrade in a couple of weeks. Did your upgrade give you Sentry mode? I asked a Tesla tech and he said yes, but have seen others say no because not compatible with AP1 cameras. Does it work for you?

 

[Shock-On-T]

Hey @Vegas glad your MCU2 upgrade went well, I'm hoping for the same! I have a 2016 Model S with AP1 and have just booked a MCU2 upgrade in a couple of weeks. Did your upgrade give you Sentry mode? I asked a Tesla tech and he said yes, but have seen others say no because not compatible with AP1 cameras. Does it work for you?

I’m pretty sure you don’t get sentry mode by upgrading to MCU2.
I think you need HW2+ (the 8 cameras version).

 

[Vegas]

Hey @Vegas glad your MCU2 upgrade went well, I'm hoping for the same! I have a 2016 Model S with AP1 and have just booked a MCU2 upgrade in a couple of weeks. Did your upgrade give you Sentry mode? I asked a Tesla tech and he said yes, but have seen others say no because not compatible with AP1 cameras. Does it work for you?

No, you need HW2 for that. I thought I may be able to record from the rear camera, but that isn;t possible either

 

[Novatec]

Looks like the new Model S we ordered is still a way off, so our 2016 Model S had the MCU upgrade yesterday - amazing - both screens replaced and look much crisper (probably the better graphics card), the re-boot on start-up seems to be fixed, now have the updated user interface which was unexpected, very quick, voice activation is instantaneous, overall I believe it's definitely worth it, and I can see why others say it feels like a new car.

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

Had mine upgraded.
The big benefit is seconds long navigation calculation (rather than minutes or failing), almost instant loading of songs & TeslaCam/Sentry (amongst others)
If you have an issue with the lack of yellow on your front & side cameras, you can replace the side blinker cameras in about 2 minutes for about $300 approx., but I think the image looks fine & I can see how yellow isn’t needed for FSD
FYI, the rear camera on the X/S is better than the 3

 

[Shock-On-T]

Looks like the new Model S we ordered is still a way off, so our 2016 Model S had the MCU upgrade yesterday - amazing - both screens replaced and look much crisper (probably the better graphics card), the re-boot on start-up seems to be fixed, now have the updated user interface which was unexpected, very quick, voice activation is instantaneous, overall I believe it's definitely worth it, and I can see why others say it feels like a new car.

Is your car AP1 or AP2?

 

[mrpseudonym]

The new cost of the MCU2 upgrade in Australia is A$2300

Has this new price been confirmed? I am still being quoted $4k..
@Novatec or @Nuclear Fusion are you able to share?

 

[pts260]

Yeah, Paid $2300 can confirm.

 

[mrpseudonym]

Thanks @pts260

 

[mrpseudonym]

Hmm My ordered part number is slightly different MCU INTEL HW3 UPGRADE- TegraAP2.0- EU-AP
Part #: 9874562-03-A

 

[Akikiki]

@mrpseudonym, did you notice pts260's part is described as TegraAP1.0 where yours is AP2.0 ? That likely explains the part number difference.

 

[mrpseudonym]

Ah yes, thanks @Akikiki I did not expand the ‘AP’ .. End result is the same though so would not have thought price would be higher. I’ll go and query it with Tesla

 

[mrpseudonym]

...sorted. Tesla have corrected price to 2.3k

 

[Jjdsyd]

Having mine done next week. What is the latest thinking on the best SSD storage solution for the dash cam?

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

Having mine done next week. What is the latest thinking on the best SSD storage solution for the dash cam?

WD Purple 512GB microSD card into USB adaptor - $170 or less

 

[cafz]

Having mine done next week. What is the latest thinking on the best SSD storage solution for the dash cam?

Samsung T5.