Tesla owners in Canada with Premium Connectivity subscriptions are again experiencing LTE connection issues in their cars, making it the second time in as many months they have been without a data connection they are paying for.
Based on reports from some of our readers and from others who have posted on social media, it appears as though the connection issues began late last week, at around the same time the latest 2023.12.5 software update began rolling out to the fleet. Those that are experiencing the issue have tried rebooting the car using the two scroll wheels on the steering wheel, but that has not improved their LTE connection.
Depending on who you ask, the problem could be related to the software update last week, or the cause could be Tesla’s cellular service provider. According to a message from a Service employee yesterday that was shared on Twitter, the automaker says the problem lies with their service provider (Telus), which “seems to be having some technical issues” and that “service will be restored soon.”
UPDATE May 31 8:12pm PT: Telus has reached out to Drive Tesla to confirm their network was not the cause of the connection issues.
However a different Tesla employee gave a completely different response to one of our readers, saying the issue is a known firmware problem and a future software update would fix it. No timeline for when the update is expected to arrive was provided, but it was recommended to connect to WiFi as often as possible to ensure it is downloaded and installed when it is deployed.
“Greetings from Tesla service. I am currently reviewing your upcoming appointment and determined that the concern you are experiencing is caused by a known firmware concern that is currently under investigation. Once a confirmed fix has been developed, it will be implemented to your vehicle via an over the air update. At this time we do not have an ETA on when or which update version will resolve the concern. The best thing you can do is to continue connecting your vehicle to Wifi so that is can download and install new firmware updates as they come available. As in person visit will not be required, I will close out your appointment.”
Whether the problem is with Tesla or with Telus, hopefully the issue is fixed soon. Depending on how long it takes many owners will likely be lining up asking for a refund for their monthly Premium Connectivity subscription, which in Canada comes in at $13.99 per month before taxes.
Are you also experiencing connectivity issues in your Tesla? Did it also coincide with the installation of software update 2023.12.5 last week? Let us know if you are, and where in Canada you are, in the comments section below.
