In a change of policy, Tesla will soon begin replacing the memory chips on older Model S and Model X vehicles for owners who have experienced the touchscreens going blank, also offering refunds to those who have already paid for the repair.
The problem of faulty touchscreens on Model S/X vehicles is well known, with hundred of owners reporting the same issues on owner forums and social media. The problem lies with the memory chip (eMMC) included on the Media Control Unit 1 (MCU1) that was included in all vehicles built before March 2018. Since the memory chip is too small for its intended purpose, the constant re-writes would wear it down before eventually failing altogether.
Although the faulty touchscreen doesn’t impact the car’s ability to drive, it can still be unnerving to have your screen, which controls almost all of the car’s function, go completely blank.
According to an email sent today to owners of impacted Model S/X vehicles and shared with us by a Drive Tesla reader, the automaker now confirms the touchscreens can sometimes go blank due to the “malfunction of a memory chip (embedded MultiMediaCard).
As a result, the automaker is now offering owners who experience issues free replacements of the impacted parts at any Tesla Service Center for 8 years/100k miles from the initial delivery date. Also included in the policy change are owners who have already had to pay out of pocket for the repairs.
According to the email, Tesla will send reimbursement details and eligibility by February next year.
Earlier this year the NHTSA announced it was investigating these older Model S/X vehicles over the faulty touchscreens. There has been no word if that investigation will continue, or if it was the cause of Tesla’s policy reversal.
You can read the full email below. More information is also available on Tesla’s website.
Let us know in the comments if you think you’ll be eligible for the refund.
Editor’s note: The original headline of this article referred to touchscreen replacements, when it is in fact touchscreen component (eMMC) replacements. The headline has been corrected. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
