Tesla is Recalling 130,000 Vehicles to Address Touchscreen Display Malfunctions Caused by Overheating, its 11th Recall This Year

author: FutureCar Staff    

Over the years, electric automaker Tesla Inc has been forced to recall its electric vehicles for a wide variety of problems. But being such a high-profile automaker, the company receives extra attention each time its announces another recall, as is the case today.

Tesla is recalling about 130,000 vehicles in the United States following an overheating issue involving the CPU that powers the center-mounted touchscreen display in the 2021 and 2022 Tesla S and X vehicles, as well as the 2022 the Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV. The overheating issue can cause the center display to malfunction, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Tuesday.

Luckily for Tesla, the recall can be done "virtually" with an over the air software update which will resolve the issue, according to the NHTSA.

If the CPU for the screen overheats while driving, warning lights and other warning lights and other important vehicle information cannot be viewed. A driver would also lose the function of the reaview cameras when backing up, the NHTSA said.

Earlier this year Tesla recalled all of the Model 3s produced between Jul 15, 2017 through Sept 30, 2020 to inspect and repair the rear view camera cable, which can be damaged from repeatedly opening or closing the trunk. A break in the wiring would cause the rear view camera not to work.

Tesla informed the  NHTSA that it was aware of 59 warranty claims and 59 field reports received since January that may be related to the issue. However, there are no reports of crashes or injuries related to the malfunctioning touchscreens.

This latest recall follows another last month. Tesla recalled approximately 48,000 Model 3 Performance sedans vehicles in the U.S. and another over 14,600 in China to address a problem where the vehicle's speedometer doesn't show when the vehicle is put into "Track Mode".

The recall covers vehicles from the 2018 through 2022 model year Model 3 Performance Models. Tesla inadvertently removed the speedometer display from the user interface after a routine firmware update in Dec 2021.

Due to Tesla's pioneering software-based vehicle design. The automaker was also able to address this problem with an over-the-air software update.

In February, Tesla recalled 26,000+ Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in China due to malfunctioning heat pumps, which can lead to inefficient heating of the cabin which could affect the performance of the windshield defoggers and cause the windows to fog up while driving.

This particular problem also surfaced after a software update in December. Shortly after the update, Tesla began receiving complaints from customers who brought their cars in for service complaining of a loss of heating performance in extreme cold weather conditions. 

An investigation into potential causes soon began, which linked the problem to the Electronic Expansion Valve (EXV) experiencing controller communication interruptions.

Also in February, Tesla recalled 2021-2022 Model S sedans and Model X SUVs, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles to address a malfunctioning seat belt chime. The problem was that the audible chime may not activate when the vehicle starts and the driver has not yet buckled their seat belt. 

NHTSA Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) require that all vehicles sold in the U.S. have an audible alert for the driver if they forget to buckle up. This problem was also addressed via an OTA software update.

Tesla has issued 11 recalls so far this year. The company is tied with Stellantis for fourth most recalls in 2022. 

But Tesla's pioneering software-based vehicle architecture allows the automaker to fix these types of minor problems quickly and efficiently, without the inconvenience of owners having to take their vehicles in for service like other automakers are required to do.

FutureCar Staff