NEW OWNER - ISSUE WITH SOFTWARE VERSION

[DTSkyCop]

Hello, I recently purchased a 2019 Tesla Model 3 which only has 1423 miles on it. This is my second day owning this vehicle and I have found out some interesting information and am looking to the community to see if we should keep this vehicle or return it.

First off, we love the vehicle, and the Tesla product from our first experience. Our issue however is this. The vehicle somehow avoided any contact with Tesla for the last 3-4 years and never received any update since 2019.40.50.7 which is currently installed. My vehicle will not receive OTA updates at all, and Tesla is saying we need to come back in a month for our scheduled appointment to see what the issue is. I am sure the OTA update just won't push out to this vehicle as it needs too many or something. This is currently affecting vehicle connectivity. Where this is important is, access to the Tesla Chargers and phone access / connectivity as a phone key etc.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I could try to get this issue resolved myself? Is there a way I can download and install the software updates myself? I am computer literate and am not afraid of DIY, I am just not sure if I should wait past the return window I have to return this car and hope there are no other issues with this vehicle's computer in a month or can I begin the updates and see if I can get close to the update needed for the system to start updating OTA again.

I do not know any of the history of this vehicle either other than the current mileage and the vehicle was a 1-owner in California and has no accident history reported on CarFax.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. The vehicle works great but in the current setup, we are not able to gain any connectivity from the Tesla App thus we are not able to use the Tesla Chargers in the network. I have a charger home that is a rapid charger and for the most part, the vehicle will be charged at home with our own charger.

 

[father_of_6]

Hmm... have you connected to WiFi? I've not heard of any reasons why missing updates for a few years would prevent future updates.

It's possible the previous owner didn't like the changes that were being pushed. There are definitely owners that state that the older versions of the software were better. I personally preferred v10 to v11. Maybe they just avoided installing.

Try connecting to WiFi and see if you get an update offer. Otherwise, I'd probably just let the service center resolve it.

 

[DTSkyCop]

We have gone through Tesla Support and the vehicle is connected to WiFi we are able to search the internet and do things on the Web from the vehicle, it is just not talking to Tesla's servers apparently according to Online Support yesterday. They ran us through the Soft Reboot, and next-level reboots with no success. I have not tried the Hard Reboot of disconnecting the batter and reconnecting as described in the Service Manual yet. I was honestly not sure that would help. I have even gone off WiFi and used LTE and still have no luck receiving any software indications of an Update or ability to update. The software just says our system is Up To Date.

Online support recommended we bring it into the Tesla Service Center to have them update the system, but they can't even evaluate or see what is potentially wrong for another month. That's our issue. Do we hold out and hope this is a simple fix? Not sure... The vehicle is pristine and drives great. It just lacks connectivity! With the Tesla App and thus the ability to use their charging network. It does not prevent 3rd Party Chargers from charging though.

 

[1965Falcon]

Have you put it into service mode and checked for errors? If there is nothing, I doubt you have much to worry about. Chances are it's not updating because in the three years it hasn't had a software update there have been security updates missed that now won't let you communicate with the mother ship.

Also, have you checked other service centers in the area? They might be able to get you in faster.

 

[DTSkyCop]

Have you put it into service mode and checked for errors? If there is nothing, I doubt you have much to worry about. Chances are it's not updating because in the three years it hasn't had a software update there have been security updates missed that now won't let you communicate with the mother ship.

Also, have you checked other service centers in the area? They might be able to get you in faster.

I tried that. The version of software I have in the system currently, 2019.40.50.7 does not have the ability to go into Service Mode. I am not sure what version of the software where that ability was introduced.

I actually have not checked other service centers. I will have to check on that one! It's crazy they can't even check this thing until the 21st of next month!

 

[father_of_6]

Even though your appointment is a month out, it's possible someone at the service center will see it and push an update out manually.

 

[fholbert]

You may not have an issue. Why it wasn’t updated is beyond me.

However: Even when I’m not on the latest update my Tesla will say I am. Two to four days later I’m advised an update is available. Always assumed Tesla is trying not to overwhelm their servers or their pipe to the internet. Suggest you stay connected to your home WiFi. Last month it took a week for 90% of us to get FSD.

Assuming you have more than one PC, you’ll see Microsoft does the same thing.

 

[karkrazy]

4 year old car with only 1500 miles on it? It’s been in storage this whole time?
And it hasn’t been updated since 2019? Is it already out of warranty?

Very, very unusual. I’d also be wondering how the battery’s health is doing.

In any case, there’s nothing you can do manually to force an update; only Tesla can. Good luck with this… interesting things going on here…

 

[fholbert]

4 year old car with only 1500 miles on it? It’s been in storage this whole time?
And it hasn’t been updated since 2019? Is it already out of warranty?

I’m wondering the same. Whats the story?

 

[DTSkyCop]

You may not have an issue. Why it wasn’t updated is beyond me.

However: Even when I’m not on the latest update my Tesla will say I am. Two to four days later I’m advised an update is available. Always assumed Tesla is trying not to overwhelm their servers or their pipe to the internet. Suggest you stay connected to your home WiFi. Last month it took a week for 90% of us to get FSD.

Assuming you have more than one PC, you’ll see Microsoft does the same thing.

I am definitely staying connected to my WiFi for sure. I wasn't sure if that was a possible issue also. But looking at all the updates from 2019.40.50.7 I was thinking that they might not have OTA updates available that far back?? I will see how it goes for a few more day before we make the decision of not. The Tesla Center didn't offer the ability for anyone to even look at our car until the 21st. I didn't get a warm an fuzzy from them as we approached them as new owners with what I honestly think is a relatively minor issue as the vehicle just needs to be updated.

Thanks for the suggestions here though.

 

[DTSkyCop]

I’m wondering the same. Whats the story?


View attachment 1042428

Just the battery warranty left. Yes! Crazy for sure... If the updates can be resolved fairly easily, then the car is AWESOME... But if not, not sure what to do!!!

 

[fholbert]

Just the battery warranty left. Yes! Crazy for sure... If the updates can be resolved fairly easily, then the car is AWESOME... But if not, not sure what to do!!!

No, what’s the story on this Barn Find? Why the low mileage?

 

[karkrazy]

The fact that you haven’t had an update in so long is a problem… and it’s actually not a small thing. Whenever Tesla makes updates, it (theoretically) improves functions of the onboard software, diagnostics, BMS, improves efficiency of devices, etc. So even if they are able to force an update, it won’t surprise me if a ton of errors and warnings start showing up.
Not trying to be a naysayer, but I can’t see how anything good can come out of software update from a car that’s been sitting for 4 years. It’s a big computer with a battery… what happens to computers and batteries when they haven’t been maintained?

You will see from the MS posts, owners have complained about their batteries being bricked after updates, and think Tesla is at fault. In many cases, the updates actually contained BMS improvements that identified battery issues that were not available in prior versions. I’m simplifying and generalizing, of course, but just trying to point out reasons why Tesla updates are no small matter.

Was the battery even maintained or plugged in? Drained down to zero?

Yeah, I’d go into service mode and have a look-see… car not under warranty anyway.

 

[DTSkyCop]

4 year old car with only 1500 miles on it? It’s been in storage this whole time?
And it hasn’t been updated since 2019? Is it already out of warranty?

Very, very unusual. I’d also be wondering how the battery’s health is doing.

In any case, there’s nothing you can do manually to force an update; only Tesla can. Good luck with this… interesting things going on here…

Battery Health report shows excellent actually, it was in the 90's but I can't find that report that was provided to us from the with the sale. It is only a Standard battery and on the last charge it gave it a 212-mile range. I am not sure what else to do to check that battery health but from the report, we saw it was good for a 2019 car.

I agree completely about the 1400-mile odometer but all indications are that it is legit... No history that can be found anywhere on the vehicle, damage, etc. I honestly do not get it myself!

 

[DTSkyCop]

No, what’s the story on this Barn Find? Why the low mileage?

I don't know really. Carvana was selling it... CarFax all clear no damage or any report with CarFax other than initial delivery in CA. and then the relist in AZ. It is definitely odd.

 

[fholbert]

The fact that you haven’t had an update in so long is a problem… and it’s actually not a small thing. Whenever Tesla makes updates, it (theoretically) improves functions of the onboard software, diagnostics, BMS, improves efficiency of devices, etc. So even if they are able to force an update, it won’t surprise me if a ton of errors and warnings start showing up.

I don’t know. Ever had to load an old version of MS Windows from a CD? It’s missing a ton of patches and several major updates, leave it alone for a couple hours and it resolves itself.

 

[father_of_6]

The fact that you haven’t had an update in so long is a problem… and it’s actually not a small thing. Whenever Tesla makes updates, it (theoretically) improves functions of the onboard software, diagnostics, BMS, improves efficiency of devices, etc. So even if they are able to force an update, it won’t surprise me if a ton of errors and warnings start showing up.
Not trying to be a naysayer, but I can’t see how anything good can come out of software update from a car that’s been sitting for 4 years. It’s a big computer with a battery… what happens to computers and batteries when they haven’t been maintained?

I wholeheartedly disagree with this. The hardware is no different than any other 2019 Model 3.

Updates don't happen the instant they're released... it's a phased rollout across the entire fleet. It can take weeks from the time the car has an internet connection to the time it gets an available update.

I suspect you'll get the latest update before your service appointment... either automatically or by a service tech pushing it. They don't need to talk to you, they'll look through their appointments list and see yours just needs a software push. It's highly likely this will happen before your actual appointment date.

 

[DTSkyCop]

The fact that you haven’t had an update in so long is a problem… and it’s actually not a small thing. Whenever Tesla makes updates, it (theoretically) improves functions of the onboard software, diagnostics, BMS, improves efficiency of devices, etc. So even if they are able to force an update, it won’t surprise me if a ton of errors and warnings start showing up.
Not trying to be a naysayer, but I can’t see how anything good can come out of software update from a car that’s been sitting for 4 years. It’s a big computer with a battery… what happens to computers and batteries when they haven’t been maintained?

You will see from the MS posts, owners have complained about their batteries being bricked after updates, and think Tesla is at fault. In many cases, the updates actually contained BMS improvements that identified battery issues that were not available in prior versions. I’m simplifying and generalizing, of course, but just trying to point out reasons why Tesla updates are no small matter.

Was the battery even maintained or plugged in? Drained down to zero?

Yeah, I’d go into service mode and have a look-see… car not under warranty anyway.

All great questions and concerns. I do not have access to Service Mode with the current software version I have. I believe that mode came after the 2019 variation I currently have. Not sure of the exact date, but I seem to have the last 2019 software variant that was pushed out before 2020. Battery health was shown to be good in the 90s but if it was stored on a charger etc... I do not know??? I can't even understand how it only drove 1400 miles in roughly 5-years... Crazy! But looking at the car, it is mint, with no issues inside or out. It currently drives like a top... No issues, rattles or squeaks, etc. The 2019 firmware variant all functions. It is simply that there is No Connectivity right now with this version installed. I cannot connect to the Tesla App and cannot use the Tesla Super Chargers or network for the simple reason that it can't interrogate the vehicle and bill me accordingly. I just wish we could get into the service center sooner or at least try some things to force the updates to occur.

 

[DTSkyCop]

I wholeheartedly disagree with this. The hardware is no different than any other 2019 Model 3.

Updates don't happen the instant they're released... it's a phased rollout across the entire fleet. It can take weeks from the time the car has an internet connection to the time it gets an available update.

I suspect you'll get the latest update before your service appointment... either automatically or by a service tech pushing it. They don't need to talk to you, they'll look through their appointments list and see yours just needs a software push. It's highly likely this will happen before your actual appointment date.

I hope so... We are impressed so far with the vehicle. We will definitely be in a Tesla now for sure... Just would like to know if this is the one or not but cannot make that decision realistically until we know what the potential fix is... Is it a simple $215. service charge and software update or is it a new computer ECU and software updates for $2K?? That what we are trying to get a grasp of before we lose the opportunity to return this vehicle if that is where we end up.

 

[father_of_6]

But you have home charging? It certainly wouldn't be ideal, but even without Supercharger access it's still a great vehicle. I do occasionally road trip, but 99.9% of my driving is energized by my own home charger.