Tesla recalls 130,000 vehicles for CPU overheating

Teslathe well-known electric car manufacturer run by the eccentric Elon Musk, has called overhaul of 130,000 vehicles that are giving problems with the touch screen due to the CPU overheating.

According to the information we have, the problem affects at least the versions of the 2022 Model 3 and Y and 2021 and 2022 Model X and S. In these vehicle models, a fault related to the information and entertainment system processor has been detected, which causes it to overheat during fast charging. As a result, the touch screen may malfunction or even go blank. Tesla began to deploy an OTA update on May 3 in order to correct the error.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has explained in its review notice that, “During fast charging or preparing for fast charging, the central infotainment processing unit (CPU) may not cool down sufficiently as to avoid higher than expected temperatures, which can cause the CPU to slow down processing or restart. Slower processing or restarted processing could cause the center screen display lags or appears blank”.

However, the NHTSA advisory does not clearly and exactly explain what caused the bug or how it has been fixed via software update (if at all, because it wouldn’t be the first time a patch has stuck). halfway in this type of case). It seems that it could have something to do with the way in which the vehicle prepares the battery for the use of fast charging.

But while the malfunction or non-functioning of the screen is taking center stage, other possible effects are, according to the NHTSA, preventing things like drivers being able to use the backup camera, changing gear using the touch screen and adjusting the the speed of the windshield wipers (some Tesla models adjust this automatically and only have manual controls from the center panel). The agency has logged 59 warranty claims, 59 field reports, and is currently not aware of any injuries or deaths from this issue.

Due to the lack of transparency about this ruling that has affected or is affecting Tesla vehicles, some are speculating that the origin could be in the processors based on AMD Ryzen, which began to be implemented by the manufacturer from last year. This hypothesis sounds plausible if we look at the generations of the affected models, since apparently there are none from the year 2020 or earlier. What’s more, earlier this year some drivers noted a decline in ride quality compared to the Intel Atom processors used by previous Tesla generations.

It is not the first time that Tesla calls to review one of its models, since in 2017 a problem was detected in the Model X whose root was poorly adjusted cables.