Multiple Individual Questions | First Road Trip | NYC to Albany, NY

[GaryBowler]

I'm posting several separate questions so I don't wear anyone out - I went on my first road trip and ran into lots of issues - if anyone feels like commenting it will be welcomed!

Enroute from Albany, NY, my NAV went dead along with every function in the cabin. I began to get very cold. I eventually pulled over to a service center on the New York Thruway and turned off everything (the display stayed on) and walked away until all the lights were out (in the cold!)

Eventually I restarted the MX and everything returned to normal. Can I expect future episodes of this occurrence?


Thanks!
Gary

 

[Derek Kessler]

Sounds like the center display — the Media Control Unit (MCU) — crashed. This shouldn't be a frequent occurrence, but it can happen. It controls everything that's not a driving function of the car. The Model X, as you experienced, will continue to drive and Autopilot will continue to fully function, though you will not receive any audio alerts from the system (or even turn signal clicks!) while it is crashed or rebooting.

The next time it does, or if it's misbehaving or lagging more than usual, you can reboot the MCU by simultaneously pressing down both steering wheel scroll wheels for several seconds until the screen goes dark (or if it's already dark, until the Tesla logo appears). You can do this while driving, as the MCU is not involved in any driving functions. You can also reboot the instrument cluster display by holding down the top buttons on either side of the steering wheel.

 

[GaryBowler]

Derek - can't thank you enough! Now I'm actually looking forward to the next excursion! On this past Sunday night, it appeared that I was running into problem after problem - a little disheartening.

May I impose upon you to ask just another question? Your responses are easy for me to grasp, so I apologize for the imposition. I'd love to learn how to read and understand the analytics display - saw a YouTube video or two, but can't seem to wrap my arms around it. Is there an agreed upon good and reputable source to teach myself?

 

[SMAlset]

We've had this happen to us on a couple of occasions over the past year we've owned our car. We've also done a Bug Report after it happens so Tesla gets the info OTA and then when we go in for a service visit down the road they can pull it and look at the time it happened and what was going on with the car at the point. To use the voice command you depress and hold down the Voice button on the steering wheel and say something like: "Bug Report...Screen went blank"...keep it real short and release the button when done. You should get feedback on what you said. If not, repeat. We also use this note feature when traveling and notice that the speed sign on the car's screen during TACC doesn't match the posted sign so it can get corrected. We frequently will also make a note of our car bug report on our phone calendar for our own reference.

Here's how to report a Bug Report (from my manual):

Contacting Tesla
For detailed information about your Model S, go to www.tesla.com, and log on to your Tesla Account, or sign up to get an account.
If you have any questions or concerns about your Model S, call 1-877-79TESLA (1-877‐798-3752).
Note: You can also use voice commands to provide feedback to Tesla. Say "Note", "Report", "Bug note", or "Bug report" followed by your brief comments. Model S takes a snapshot of its systems, including screen captures of the touchscreen and instrument panel. Tesla periodically reviews these notes and uses them to continue improving Model S.

 

[Derek Kessler]

May I impose upon you to ask just another question? Your responses are easy for me to grasp, so I apologize for the imposition. I'd love to learn how to read and understand the analytics display - saw a YouTube video or two, but can't seem to wrap my arms around it. Is there an agreed upon good and reputable source to teach myself?

I think I may have answered that question in another thread, but if it's something different, ask away!

 

[SMAlset]

I'm sorry your first trip was met with some issues but it's part of the learning experience I guess. BTW if you are in need of Tesla Roadside Assistance it's available by phone 24/7. Press the Tesla "T" on your top center touchscreen. A screen will drop down (with the Easter Eggs) and you'lll see you VIN number there and the Tesla Roadside Assistance number is located at the bottom of the screen. You can just touch it and it will call for you from your car. When we first experienced our black screen and weren't sure what to do we called and they walked us through it. I'm sorry you ended up in the cold not knowing this. The Roadside Assistance would have given you steps to try to get you back on the road quicker.

Should also mention that on your Tesla phone app, at the bottom of the app screen, you will also see your car's VIN and the software version your car is on, so it's always handy.