Tesla's New Cars in the US Face Widespread Autopilot Computer Failures, Causing Multiple Vehicle Functions to Malfunction
On December 17, according to Electrek, a significant number of Tesla's new cars are experiencing failures in their autopilot computers, causing multiple functions of the vehicles, including active safety features, cameras, GPS navigation, and range estimation, to become inoperative, and placing immense pressure on Tesla's after-sales service.
Electrek has confirmed this issue, which is related to Tesla's latest version of the HW4 (sometimes referred to as AI4) onboard autopilot computer, through internal sources and obtained documents. According to insiders, the new version, internally codenamed AI4.1, has experienced short-circuiting in these computers. The specific cause is still under investigation, but sources have suggested to Electrek that one possibility is that the low-voltage battery may cause the computer to short-circuit during the camera calibration process.
Tesla owners have reported that their new cars' computers fail after driving only tens to hundreds of miles. Many functions are affected, including active safety features and cameras, and even GPS navigation and range estimation are not working properly. Insiders have indicated that the issue has affected vehicles produced in the past few months that are equipped with the new computers, and the scope of the problem is quite extensive.
Two sources have stated that Tesla has received a large number of complaints about this issue but has not yet issued any service announcements. One source said that Tesla's after-sales department has been instructed to downplay any safety concerns related to this issue to avoid owners believing that their new cars are undrivable.
It has been noted that this issue has emerged at the end of the year, as Tesla is striving to deliver a large number of cars to avoid a decline in annual delivery volume for the first time in a decade.
Although rearview camera failures violate federal safety regulations and could lead to mandatory recalls, it is unclear whether Tesla has reported this issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The report also states that Tesla's main remedial action is to replace the computers, but the company is also seeking to provide temporary solutions by pushing software patches. Tesla's after-sales service is currently overwhelmed by this issue and has postponed some repair appointments until next year.
