Early Teslas are losing cell service thanks to 3G shutdown

(Paradigm credit: TeslA)

Tesla is the most popular electric machine company in the world, simply the visitor is not without its issues. Turns out, edifice a car company from scratch and becoming absurdly popular in the process is actually quite difficult. And it's been a twelvemonth of ups and downs for Tesla.

Whether it's long-standing complaints about quality control, criticisms about full self-driving beta testing, or any other myriad of issues faced by the company, uncomfortable news has go common among its customers and fans.

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While Tesla isn't a consummate dumpster burn of issues, in that location are withal a lot of bug, and keeping tabs on them all tin be tricky. So hither are all the ongoing bug affecting Tesla and Tesla owners.

All the issues affecting Tesla right now (Updated Feb 24)

Feb 24: Older Teslas are losing connectivity thanks to 3G shutdown

3G network infrastructure is in the process of shutting downwardly across the U.s., which is going to have an touch on any older pre-4G devices. Among those devices are some early on Teslas.

All teslas have had a information connexion since the launch of the Model S in 2012, but cars sold earlier 2015 were only equipped with 3G modems. Without a connectedness all the car's connected features, like navigation, software updates, and remote arrangement controls, will be useless.

Tesla has already started warning affected owners virtually this (via Elektrek), offering the pick for them to upgrade their modems to something 4G-friendly. This costs $200, and tin can exist scheduled in the Tesla app via the Schedule Service > Upgrades & Accessories > LTE Upgrade menus.

$200 may seem similar a lot, but these early cars also came with lifetime access to tesla's premium connectivity — which currently costs $10 a calendar month. If y'all plan on keeping your Model S for at least 2 more than years, then the upgrade is well worth its cost.

February 18: Tesla faces a lawsuit alleging suspension failure caused a deadly Model iii crash

Tesla is being sued by the family of a human being who died afterward his Model iii left the road and crashed into trees near his home in Coral Gables, Florida. The man and his passenger both died with the car engulfed in flames.

Video of the incident shows sparks coming from beneath the car equally it sped through an intersection and Nicholas Garcia's family believes that was caused as the car bottomed out — allegedly due to faulty suspension.

The accommodate claims that aforementioned machine had been serviced by Tesla just iv days before later on Garcia complained of steering and suspension issues. A recall on Model 3 cars had as well been fabricated due to faulty suspension, although that isn't mentioned in the lawsuit and it isn't clear whether this particular car was one of the affected models.

Tesla and the service manager who inspected the automobile are both being sued — the carmaker for an allegedly faulty design and its employee for allegedly not inspecting the automobile properly.

Feb 18: NHTSA has opened some other investigation into Tesla's phantom braking trouble

Tesla once again finds itself the subject of an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) among ongoing concerns surrounding the phantom braking of Model iii and Model Y EVs.

The NHTSA says that it will be looking into more than 400,000 Model 3 and Model Y cars from 2021 and 2022 model years, following the receipt of more than 350 complaints in just 9 months.

Phantom braking is a business organization because cars accept been constitute to brake for no obvious reason while Autopilot is engaged. That in plough has the potential to cause accidents when following vehicles struggle to react to the unexpected slow-down of the Tesla in front of them.

Thankfully, no accidents or injuries have been reported so far but the business organisation is that phantom braking, specially on a highway, could have dire consequences.

Feb 17: Not-Tesla Supercharging has a parking issue

Tesla is currently trialling a new plan that gives non-Tesla drivers access to the previously sectional Supercharger network, in an attempt to see how such a situation might bear upon both the Supercharger network and Tesla drivers.

While this can just be a good thing in the long term, a short-term outcome has popped up. Information technology'southward not that Tesla owners take to compete for charging space, which was a concern, but the fact that Superchargers are non designed for non-Teslas.

To put it simply, some people are struggling to plug in, because the Supercharger cable length has been designed to plug into a Tesla charging port. That ways there may non be enough cable to attain ports on non-Tesla cars.

At that place have been instances of non-Teslas blocking Superchargers with weird and wonderful parking methods - all so they can plug in. However Tesla support advices people to categorically not do this. Considering it's a jerk movement, and all you'll exercise is brand people angry and make yourself look like a jackass.

All the same it's something Tesla is going to bargain with if information technology seriously wants to make Superchargers bachelor to anybody.

Feb sixteen: Elon Musk admits Tesla is to blame for Model 10 delays

Trying to get a Tesla Model Ten ways a very long wait. The earliest yous tin can hope to get one is this October, just only if you option upwardly the super-expensive $126,490 Model X Plaid. The standard model, which starts at $104,990, won't exist arriving until January 2023 at the earliest.

If you lot want the five-seater with the cheaper twenty-inch wheels option, you'll have to expect until May 2023. Needless to say it'due south pretty bad.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has admitted Tesla itself "dropped the ball regarding new Model X production ramp"

We dropped the brawl badly regarding new Model X production ramp & withal haven't fully recovered. Was idiotic to stop production of former X in Dec 2020 when there was still plenty of demand!February 9, 2022

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Turns out stopping production on a very in-demand car was non a practiced thought — fifty-fifty if there were replacements waiting in the wings. Tesla should accept kept going until it was completely gear up to deliver on the refreshed version of the motorcar.

Unfortunately the problem isn't probable to go anywhere someday soon. Musk claims the motorcar is the "almost complex passenger motorcar e'er" and "extremely hard to build". Whether that'south true or not, it's at present obvious Tesla is struggling and only has itself to blame for the fracas.

February 3: Tesla is having more phantom braking issues

After being forced to call back a Full Cocky Driving software update back in Oct, it appears Tesla owners are still having problems with "phantom braking". In other words, Tesla's are hit the brakes for no discernable reason and owners have been complaining to the National Highway Traffic Safe Administration.

The Washington Post reports that the NHTSA has had 107 complaints over the by three months. The previous 22 months had just 34 complaints.

Some owners accept complained that Teslas are overly sensitive to trucks in the opposite lane, while others claim their Teslas striking the brakes despite there being no other cars on the road. Plain that poses a serious dangers to Tesla drivers, and other cars on the road.

The NHTSA hasn't verified the reports, only a spokesperson said that the bureau is "engaging in a dialogue" with Tesla over the incidents.

Feb 1: Tesla recalls FSD's 'Assertive Fashion' feature. Once again

Tesla's Total Self Driving beta has only had to think yet another update. Assertive Mode originally launched back in December, only to exist recalled two days later subsequently drivers experienced problems with traffic calorie-free left turns and unexpected stopping.

Believing Mode returned last month promising cars would "accept a smaller follow altitude, perform more than frequent speed lane changes, will not exit passing lanes and may perform rolling stops."

A rolling finish is where the driver treats an intersection stop sign as a yield sign, slowing down instead of coming to a consummate stop. According to ABC News the FSD software allowed the car to roll through cease signs at upward to 5.6mph. The problem is, rolling stops are illegal in many U.S. states, causing regulators to get involved.

National Highway Traffic Condom Administration (NHTSA) officials met with Tesla, who reportedly agreed to the recall. While the automaker says it doesn't know if the feature caused any injuries or crashes, the NHTSA says that failure to stop can increase the risk of a crash.

And so an OTA update has been released to the 54,0000 affected Teslas, recalling the update, and putting an cease to Assertive Mode for the 2nd fourth dimension.

January 19: A Tesla driver is being charged with vehicular manslaughter after an Autopilot crash

Can a driver be held responsible for something an autonomous machine arrangement does? California prosecutors seem to think so, having filed charges against one Tesla owner that was involved in a crash while Autopilot was active — a crash that resulted in the loss of two lives.

The incident took identify in Gardena, Los Angeles, in 2019, involving a Model S driven by Kevin George Aziz Riad. Autopilot was engaged when the Model S skipped a red light and hit a Honda Borough — killing its two occupants and injuring a passenger in the Model S.

The NHTSA confirmed Autopilot was active at the time, and Elektrek notes that Autopilot didn't have a crimson light feature at the fourth dimension of the crash. Tesla also warns drivers that they should pay attention, and exist ready to retake control at any time.

The Washington Postal service suggests this is the first time a driver in the United States has been charged with a felony as a result of a car crash involving a partially automatic driving systems. So needless to say it'll be interesting to see how this case plays out, and what legal precedents may be set.

Riad has pled not guilty, and is out on bail.

Jan 13: California opens investigation into Full Cocky Driving Autopilot beta

Having the general public beta test its Full Cocky Driving Autopilot software has drawn a lot of criticism for Tesla. In fact at that place take been a number of high-contour incidents involving the beta, which is causing the California DMV to "revisit" its decision to not regulate the software.

In the past the DMV has claimed Tesla's FSD beta doesn't autumn nether its autonomous vehicle program, because there'due south still a human commuter in the mix. Despite the name, FSD is not actual self driving, only an upgraded version of the existing Level two democratic software Tesla calls Autopilot.

However DMV manager Steve Gordon has informed Tesla that information technology would be revisiting this conclusion "post-obit recent software updates, videos showing a dangerous use of that technology, open investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the opinions of other experts in this space."

"If the capabilities of the feature run into the definition of an autonomous vehicle per California'due south law and regulations, DMV volition accept steps to make certain that Tesla operates under the appropriate autonomous vehicle permits,"

December 30: Tesla bug recall for most Model 3 and Model S vehicles

Tesla has issued a massive 475,000 vehicle recollect for the Model 3 and Model S. It affects Model 3 units fabricated betwixt 2017-2020 and Model S units made from 2014 onwards.

For the Model iii, the issue comes down to the rear-view camera harness which may get damaged from opening and closing the rear trunk. This could get out drivers without admission to rear-view camera footage.

On the Model S, a faulty front trunk latch may lead to the "frunk" opening all of a sudden, which could be especially dangerous while driving.

Dec eight: Teslas allow you play video games while driving

It's possible to play video games on Tesla's infotainment system, that isn't exactly news. Merely did you know it's possible to play them while the car is moving? That's the aforementioned following an update before this twelvemonth.

Right at present it seems that Solitaire, Sky Force Reloaded and The Battle of Polytopia: Moonrise can be played while the car is moving. While designed for passengers, there are no measures in place to end the commuter from having a game either. That would be a spectacularly stupid thing to practice, but the fact is it shouldn't even exist possible.

For starters the infotainment system is an essential part of a Tesla, specially if you lot're on cheaper models that don't accept a display behind the steering wheel. Having a passenger play tin also be distracting to the driver, and considering how dangerous cars are this is the last thing you desire.

Honestly, Tesla should accept known better. As all the instances of people sleeping with Autopilot on show, yous can't trust people to always do the sensible thing.

Dec 2: Tesla has been constitute guilty of throttling charging speed (once more)

Back in 2019 Tesla owners started seeing significant drops in range, betwixt 12 and 30 miles following a software update. According to Tesla, the update was designed to "protect the battery and better bombardment longevity" and that it would just affect "a small percentage of owners".

While another update somewhen reversed these changes, affected owners withal noticed that Supercharging speed was slower than before. Naturally this led to a number of lawsuits.

One such lawsuit in Kingdom of norway institute Tesla guilty and ordered the visitor to pay $136,000 kroner (just shy of $15,000) to each affected user. Still Tesla was a no-bear witness at the trial, afterwards challenge that it wasn't aware information technology was happening. So the company was given a retrial, which simply concluded.

Tesla admitted the change, according to Dagens Næringsliv, but claimed information technology wasn't responsible for compensation considering "customers were not entitled to whatever given charging blueprint". However it seems the courtroom disagreed, and Tesla was constitute guilty one time again.

Though this time it has been ordered to pay 130,000 kroner, which is roughly $14,300. That's significantly higher and then the $625 information technology paid out to afflicted owners after settling as like lawsuit in the U.Southward. Naturally the automaker is taking the case to the District Court to entreatment the decision, and so we oasis't heard the last of this story just yet.

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Tom is the Tom's Guide's Automotive Editor, which ways he tin can usually exist plant knee deep in stats the latest and best electric cars, or checking out some sort of driving gadget. It'south long manner from his days every bit editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the tabular array. He's ordinarily plant trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining that Ikea won't let him buy the stuff he really needs online.