135,000 Tesla Cars Recalled Because Of Faulty Flash Memory

135,000 Tesla cars have been recalled because of a long-known flash-memory-related issue on older Model S and X vehicles. With this issue, vehicles may not be able to turn signals or displaying the rearview backup camera properly.

Specifically, the recall order applies to 2012-2018 Model S sedans and 2015-2018 Model X SUVs with Hynix 8GB flash memory and NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. Essentially, the 8GB flash memory is said to be not sufficient enough to handle the amounts of data processing that the car must do. As a result, the flash storage rapidly wears down, leading to the center display software failure.

For context, later models of Tesla use 64GB flash memory. Because every function in the company's cars besides accelerating and braking happens via that center display console, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, after reviewing the problem for six months, called this a safety issue.

As automakers would normally do, Tesla tried hard to not having to recall its vehicles. The company argued that it would be unnecessary to recall the vehicles since an over-the-air patch could resolve memory failure problems.

NHTSA stated that 88% percent of the vehicles with the flash memory problem got this OTA update. However, according to them, it wasn’t good enough.

With the recall, Tesla has to replace the whole Visual Component Module including the memory storage as well as upgrading it to the newer one. Any customers who have had to repair the car due to the faulty part will receive a reimbursement from Tesla.

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