Tesla asked to recall 158,000 cars for failing displays

The National Highway Traffic Security Administration has actually asked Tesla to remember some 158,000 Design S and Design X automobiles that might struggle with stopping working screen consoles, according to a letter released by the company on Wednesday. The failures of the so-called “media manage systems” in these automobiles can sever the owner’s access to their car’s backup electronic camera, environment controls, and Tesla’s Auto-pilot chauffeur help system, increasing the danger of a crash, the security company states.

The issue at the heart of the flaw that NHTSA desires Tesla to repair includes damaged flash memory chips utilized in the screens of 2012-2018 Design S sedans and 2016-2018 Design X SUVs. Each time an owner switches on among these Teslas, it gnaws at the overall capability of the the 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory chip onboard the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor that powers the screens. When that capability is reached– generally about 5 to 6 years later on, the company states– the screens end up being bricked. Motherboard initially reported on the concern in 2019.

NHTSA opened an official examination into the issue last June, and stated Wednesday that the probe is still continuous regardless of the demand that Tesla remember the automobiles. It’s uncertain if Tesla will comply. The business did not right away react to an ask for remark.

In the letter, NHTSA acknowledges that Tesla has actually released over-the-air software application updates indicated to reduce the failures, however the company thinks those do not go far enough– particularly due to the fact that the issue cuts access to the backup electronic camera, which is now a federally mandated function. “[T] hese updates are procedurally and substantively inadequate,” the company composes.

While Tesla promoted making use of big touchscreen screens in vehicles, it had more than one issue with these earlier designs. Beyond the flash memory concern at the heart of NHTSA’s recall demand, early Tesla screens likewise experienced bubbling and yellow banding given that they were not up to common automobile requirements.