Intermittent loss of USB stick icon and playback/security until reboot

[john8899]

Starting in late November, I starting losing the USB icon under My Apps overnight, necessitating a 2-button reboot to get it back and to play music from the USB stick. Removing and reinserting the USB stick has no effect. My USB stick is a Sandisk microSD card reader with a 128gb microSD card partitioned for music and sentry etc. It has worked fine since I got it in 2020, and it works fine now when the USB icon appears in My Apps.

At one time, the USB icon appeared in the display of all apps that pops up when you press the 3 dot icon at the bottom of the screen. Now the USB icon is always missing from the display of all apps, even when it appears in My Apps. Is this normal?

For 3 weeks, I experienced the same situation every morning. I usually did not lose USB during the day after leaving the car for up to several hours. On Dec. 21, I took the car in for a service appointment. Unfortunately, USB playback apparently worked the entire time they had it. It still worked yesterday morning and this morning. However, today I went to the store for 1/2 hour, and when I came back to the car, the USB icon was gone from My Apps, and I had to reboot. Thus, loss of USB does not require leaving the car overnight but is an intermittent situation that can occur at any time.

Does anyone have any ideas of what's going on or what can be done? Since it's an intermittent problem, there's no guarantee that it will occur if I take the car back for service. I hate to waste 5 minutes every time I have to reboot to get back USB playback and probably USB security.

 

[john8899]

USB security also disappears when the USB music icon goes missing, and USB disappears from the list of media Sources. Thus, I intermittently lose both dashcam security and music.

 

[john8899]

I have figured out that the actual problem is loss of USB security and music when parked with Sentry off. I have only lost USB once when parked away from home, but it happens frequently at home with Sentry excluded. I turned on Sentry at home, and the problem went away. However, since Sentry burns about 40 miles per day, I have scheduled another service appointment and this time have set the Tesla service center as "Work" so that Sentry will be excluded.

 

[Demented_Y]

Having the same issue. I have to soft reboot to get the car to recognize the usb drive. Please let me know what Tesla does or repair. Much appreciated!!

 

[bozer426]

Starting in late November, I starting losing the USB icon under My Apps overnight, necessitating a 2-button reboot to get it back and to play music from the USB stick. Removing and reinserting the USB stick has no effect. My USB stick is a Sandisk microSD card reader with a 128gb microSD card partitioned for music and sentry etc. It has worked fine since I got it in 2020, and it works fine now when the USB icon appears in My Apps.

At one time, the USB icon appeared in the display of all apps that pops up when you press the 3 dot icon at the bottom of the screen. Now the USB icon is always missing from the display of all apps, even when it appears in My Apps. Is this normal?

For 3 weeks, I experienced the same situation every morning. I usually did not lose USB during the day after leaving the car for up to several hours. On Dec. 21, I took the car in for a service appointment. Unfortunately, USB playback apparently worked the entire time they had it. It still worked yesterday morning and this morning. However, today I went to the store for 1/2 hour, and when I came back to the car, the USB icon was gone from My Apps, and I had to reboot. Thus, loss of USB does not require leaving the car overnight but is an intermittent situation that can occur at any time.

Does anyone have any ideas of what's going on or what can be done? Since it's an intermittent problem, there's no guarantee that it will occur if I take the car back for service. I hate to waste 5 minutes every time I have to reboot to get back USB playback and probably USB security.

I have the same issue with my '21 Model Y that I purchased new. The phone charging pad barely works and charge port act up at the same time. I have to push on it to open so it will charge. I just got it back from service and they put the second charge port door and an inductive pad on it and it changed nothing. The USB worked when I picked it up. But the next morning it was not working again.

When I talked to the tech at the Service Center at Nambe in New Mexico, He blamed the software, My lack of knowledge, And my expectations. Then when I told him he need to contact the tech help at Tesla directly, He said his manager was on vacation and he had to wait until she gets back. And when I asked when that was he started Hemming and Hawing. Said he did not know.

I would be very interested what they find on yours!

 

[Lygo]

I have the same issue in my MY. I have the Sentry Icon saved on my quick bar so I can tap to record quickly if need be and not have to honk my horn. A majority of the time when I get into my car there is an X on that icon meaning it is not recognizing a memory device. I then do a 2 wheel button reboot and upon completion of the reboot the X is gone and the memory stick is recognized. I'm happy I can fix it, however it's annoying to have to reboot so often. Also my wife would forget to reboot and that is a security concern for me since then if anything happens it wont be captured by Sentry Mode.

They need to fix this.

 

[john8899]

The Tesla service center has been able to verify and document the malfunction, but they have not been able determine the cause and are requesting assistance from national Tesla. They advised me that no other customer has had this problem. In other words, I'm patient zero.

To summarize, the problem is that when the vehicle is parked with sentry off, it frequently loses USB security and music within about 10 minutes. This only happens when parked in my garage, since I leave Sentry on otherwise and exclude my home. A soft reboot or two restores all USB functions. The USB source makes no difference.

 

[ElectricAnt54]

Myself and a few others in another thread have this same issue & the temporary fix is computer reboot. However, the glovebox usb-a works fine. I have a 2022 Model Y which has Tesla oem data & power capable center storage usb-c module which was sold to me by Tesla & installed by Tesla. It’s been working great until around February 2024.
I tried to make a service appointment & wrote up all the details of the software glitch but their recommendation was to install a power only usb-c module since my car wasn’t shipped with the data ability . I cancelled the appointment.

 

[flai54]

Myself and a few others in another thread have this same issue & the temporary fix is computer reboot. However, the glovebox usb-a works fine. I have a 2022 Model Y which has Tesla oem data & power capable center storage usb-c module which was sold to me by Tesla & installed by Tesla. It’s been working great until around February 2024.
I tried to make a service appointment & wrote up all the details of the software glitch but their recommendation was to install a power only usb-c module since my car wasn’t shipped with the data ability . I cancelled the appointment.

Dang the USB-c module is breaking for you again? sheesh you have the worst luck with USB-C ports. My Tparts data module has been working great since I installed it and it is still working great for data even with the latest update.

 

[Berkshire1]

Anybody having problems with USB unavailable when viewing clips unless computer gets a soft reboot. Happens intermittently.

 

[bruce4000]

Anybody having problems with USB unavailable when viewing clips unless computer gets a soft reboot. Happens intermittently.

I have had that he USB in the console w music go away several times over the last 4 months including yesterday. V2024.3.25. Sentry mode was off as was at home. Rebooting fixed but a pain especially when happens to wife.

 

[Vicj]

It's a known issue. Not a priority fur Tesla at the moment... if there's anyone still employed who can even work on it

 

[.Slug]

Can confirm, my usb c slots in the center console stop working multiple times a day. Its unpredictable when they will begin working again, however a software reboot fixes it temporarily every time. But if I park and leave my car for even 2 minutes, power stops going to these usb c slots. Its incredibly aggravating because I use these slots every day (or at least want to lol). I've confirmed that its not a USB device issue, its a software or port problem. I've measured the voltage at the USB C slots and it gets reduced to a few volts when the issue occurs, just enough to not power anything or allow anything to be recognized. Tesla refuses to acknowledge the problem or fix it. What a joke.

 

[john8899]

I'm going back to Tesla service with my third request on this issue since on the two prior occasions I didn't fully understand the problem. My latest service request is as follows:

Starting in late November 2023, USB frequently, but not always, fails to activate when I awaken the car from sleep with the door handle. In contrast, USB always works when I awaken the car from my cell phone. When USB fails to activate, there is no USB security or USB music at all. USB security is grayed out, and the USB music icon vanishes. To enable USB security and USB music, I have to reboot. Sometimes the first reboot fails to work and I have to reboot a second time.

 

[Vicj]

You're wasting your time.
This is already a well known issue with Tesla, that will get addressed with a software fix..."sometime". It's not a priority for them, and there's no one left employed in the coding department able to work on it anyway.
Updates with Tesla is a joke. Always some dubious new feature no one asked for, but 4 other things stop working.

 

[john8899]

You're wasting your time.
This is already a well known issue with Tesla, that will get addressed with a software fix..."sometime". It's not a priority for them, and there's no one left employed in the coding department able to work on it anyway.
Updates with Tesla is a joke. Always some dubious new feature no one asked for, but 4 other things stop working.

It's not a waste of time to make a record if they later try to deny service out of warranty and to alert other people to a problem that Tesla service denied had ever been reported by anyone else the two previous times I took the car in for service.

The best explanation of what might be happening that I have seen was a post that cars like mine that usually fail to start USB on door handle awakening have a chip that is either out of spec or that was replaced in other cars by a faster but otherwise similar chip, and that the cars with the slower chip usually timeout and skip USB during door handle startup since an update to the door handle startup routine in or about November 2023. If that is the case, the solution would be either replacement of older hardware that can't keep up with newer firmware, or revision of the firmware to go back to the door handle startup sequence of pre-November 2023 firmware.

 

[Vicj]

Well, if I squint hard enough, I see your point.
I think they're just going to tell you it's a software issue that will be fixed with an update "someday", but good luck. I have never heard of Tesla upgrading chips.

 

[john8899]

Well, if I squint hard enough, I see your point.
I think they're just going to tell you it's a software issue that will be fixed with an update "someday", but good luck. I have never heard of Tesla upgrading chips.

I've seen many threads about Tesla replacing defective entertainment computers. They don't replace a chip. They replace the entire unit. If the cause is defective hardware that can't work with current firmware, then the solution is to replace the hardware.

Since it is undisputed that USB failure on door handle startup is a defect, everyone whose car is affected should complain and demand service under the warranty.

 

[Vicj]

It's a software issue, that started with one of the updates.
It's a code issue. Replacing the hardware won't change it

 

[john8899]

It's a software issue, that started with one of the updates.
It's a code issue. Replacing the hardware won't change it

This is the first time I have read about a known cause for no USB on door handle startup from sleep. Does it occur in all Teslas or just Models Y & 3? Does it affect cars with HW4 as well as HW3? How long has Tesla known what is wrong?