Occasional Error Code from M3 - Driver pillar camera blocked

[DwightKSchrute]

I've had a periodic issue with my model 3 - an error code that the drivers side pillar is obstructed and I can't use autopilot.
It has happened on both sides.
I did contact Tesla and set up a mobile appointment. They replaced the fender camera (and left a gap) and the error came back the first time driving after that repair. I did a Tesla bug report when it was active.
I contacted Tesla and asked if they can check the error codes before wasting their (and my) time for another mobile appointment. And to fix the fender camera so I don't have a problem in the future.
That will be next Saturday, as they said parts are on order.
Sorry for ranting, but has anyone else had such a problem?
If so, was the problem software, hardware or wiring (or it depends)?
Thanks.

 

[DwightKSchrute]

And before anyone asks, no, the pillars are not blocked or dirty.

 

[bill-dub-ya]

I have received a similar message, but only when the sun is glaring directly on the driver side of the vehicle. I assume that the sensor gets blinded under these conditions.

 

[skygraff]

I have received a similar message, but only when the sun is glaring directly on the driver side of the vehicle. I assume that the sensor gets blinded under these conditions.

Yes, same here but, rather than blinded, it appears to be due to condensation from external vs internal air temp/humidity. I guess it’s a known issue and there may be a fix but Tesla hasn’t chosen to do a recall.

I wonder if those of us who purchased FSD will be eligible for whatever fix is necessary even if we’re out of warranty.

 

[North75]

The fix is to run the air conditioner to lower the humidity in the car. Works pretty quick the couple of times I’ve had it happen.
I wonder if it’s more likely to occur with the air on recirc. I never bother with recirc, so don’t know.

 

[skygraff]

The fix is to run the air conditioner to lower the humidity in the car. Works pretty quick the couple of times I’ve had it happen.
I wonder if it’s more likely to occur with the air on recirc. I never bother with recirc, so don’t know.

That may be a “work around” but it’s not the fix. I think there’s some kind of piece that separates the cabin from the camera housing that either needs to have a hole opened or closed; may even be a newer part number. There’s a thread on this somewhere but not sure which site so I’m not up to searching and linking just now.

If I recall correctly, it’s even listed in one of the recall sites (NHTSA?) as one of those unofficial problem issues that hasn’t been marked as a mandatory recall.

 

[animorph]

A plain concrete wall to one side or the other, so that the camera just sees a featureless view, has caused warnings for me and others. Every time the barrier height increased enough the warning appeared. When the barrier height decreased enough the camera warning disappeared. This is on a freeway drive to our football stadium, so no recent drives to see if it still occurs.

If the problem is more random then I'd suspect a hardware problem.

 

[DwightKSchrute]

A plain concrete wall to one side or the other, so that the camera just sees a featureless view, has caused warnings for me and others. Every time the barrier height increased enough the warning appeared. When the barrier height decreased enough the camera warning disappeared. This is on a freeway drive to our football stadium, so no recent drives to see if it still occurs.

If the problem is more random then I'd suspect a hardware problem.

It occurs when driving, sometimes on highway and sometimes on normal roads
I have remote service this Saturday so we shall see.

 

[Wittangamo]

Please update after your mobile service. They told me there’s nothing that can be done about condensation, that a recent firmware update made the pillar cams more likely to generate the error and they’re hoping it will be fixed in another update. In other words, they told me to live with the fact that AP and NoAP will be disabled at random depending on the weather.

 

[DwightKSchrute]

Please update after your mobile service. They told me there’s nothing that can be done about condensation, that a recent firmware update made the pillar cams more likely to generate the error and they’re hoping it will be fixed in another update. In other words, they told me to live with the fact that AP and NoAP will be disabled at random depending on the weather.

Shall do

 

[Vaillant]

This may seem surprising, but could it be that your B pillar still has the plastic film protecting the glass? There was another thread where people were complaining about scratches on the B pillar and eventually it was figured out that there was a plastic film on top. That could at least make the camera work less effectively.

Edit: found one of the various threads on it:

Suggestions for repairing B-pillar glass scratches?

 

[Stanwood Steve]

I've had a periodic issue with my model 3 - an error code that the drivers side pillar is obstructed and I can't use autopilot.
It has happened on both sides.
I did contact Tesla and set up a mobile appointment. They replaced the fender camera (and left a gap) and the error came back the first time driving after that repair. I did a Tesla bug report when it was active.
I contacted Tesla and asked if they can check the error codes before wasting their (and my) time for another mobile appointment. And to fix the fender camera so I don't have a problem in the future.
That will be next Saturday, as they said parts are on order.
Sorry for ranting, but has anyone else had such a problem?
If so, was the problem software, hardware or wiring (or it depends)?
Thanks.

I periodically receive the same error message, but it's usually when the sun is relatively low on the horizon on the driver's side of the car. I also noticed that I sometimes have a small amount of moisture on the inside of the pillar that probably contributes to the problem. I seldom see the error message for the passenger side pillar camera. I've seen other posts on this issue and it's fairly common, unfortunately.

 

[MarsOrBust]

How long are the pillar cams u dear warranty?
I been getting fog on both A and B pillar cameras this month several times. FSD is unsuitable when this happens. No film on my pillar at all, I have checked for that already. Seems that Tesla simply has no fix for it at all. They had a previous attempted fix on older pillars that do not apply to the new ones but the issue is still there.

 

[DwightKSchrute]

This may seem surprising, but could it be that your B pillar still has the plastic film protecting the glass? There was another thread where people were complaining about scratches on the B pillar and eventually it was figured out that there was a plastic film on top. That could at least make the camera work less effectively.

Edit: found one of the various threads on it:

Suggestions for repairing B-pillar glass scratches?

If only all my problems were caused by poor dealer prep.
Doesn't appear to be the case, but I have mobile repair scheduled for Saturday

 

[Gasaraki]

I get that almost everyday when leave from my garage in to the outside air. The glass right in front of the camera fogs up cause the camera generates heat. They can replace the camera all they want but it's not going to fix the problem.

Let me us know if they fix this problem for you though. I don't think it's going to happen.

 

[DwightKSchrute]

I get that almost everyday when leave from my garage in to the outside air. The glass right in front of the camera fogs up cause the camera generates heat. They can replace the camera all they want but it's not going to fix the problem.

Let me us know if they fix this problem for you though. I don't think it's going to happen.

You have my exact car (same delivery time, etc).
I brought it in today for "in person" service because there's a wind noise from the driver's window, and they confirmed that the seal was not perfect.
They also noted that the flaw was on both sides, and ordered the left and right camera.
Mobile service is scheduled for this Saturday (subject to parts being available).
I will update all on the results.
And FWIW, I haven't observed any fog on the pillars (inside or out).

 

[Gasaraki]

You have my exact car (same delivery time, etc).
I brought it in today for "in person" service because there's a wind noise from the driver's window, and they confirmed that the seal was not perfect.
They also noted that the flaw was on both sides, and ordered the left and right camera.
Mobile service is scheduled for this Saturday (subject to parts being available).
I will update all on the results.
And FWIW, I haven't observed any fog on the pillars (inside or out).

The issue only happens in the winter and the fogging is right in front of the camera on the iside of the glass, not the whole b-pillar. If they actually can fix it for you, let me know so I can make an appointment also.

This is a fairly minor issue for me because the error seems to go away after a little bit of driving.

 

[Kat Jacks]

I have gotten that message too a few times. When I was in Dedham, MA for other reasons I stopped by the Tesla store and service person said it was due to minor moisture and should not be a problem, but to contact service if it became more prevalent.. The message has only appeared 5-6 times in over 4 months, so I haven't followed up.

 

[DwightKSchrute]

Update. I drive this am and got the fault on both sides. The big problem is that this disables enhanced autopilot. so if Tesla cannot fix this I want the eap $ back.
Elon's dream of self driving taxis remains that and glad I don't have fsd.

 

[DwightKSchrute]

Got mobile repair on Saturday and they replaced the driver side window molding (separate issue for wind noise), and the driver side b pillar camera. So far no faults but haven't driven a lot this weekend. I also changed ventilation to fresh air which may avoid condensation. The wind noise is reduced also