--- title: "The Self-Driving Computer in Brand New Teslas Is Failing" description: "The computers equipped on brand new Tesla cars that run the automaker's self-driving modes are short-circuiting almost immediately." date: "2024-12-17" modified: "2024-12-17" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/computer-brand-new-tesla-failing" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" - "Tesla" tags: - "autopilot" - "full self-driving" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # The Self-Driving Computer in Brand New Teslas Is Failing ![The computers equipped on brand new Tesla cars that run the automaker's self-driving modes are short-circuiting almost immediately.]() *\Image: Justin Sullivan via Getty\* ## New and Unimproved It seems that Tesla's self-driving efforts have hit another snag, because the computers built into its cars that run its [semi-autonomous driving software]() are failing, [*Electrek* reports](), adding to the Elon Musk-owned automaker's track record of [dodgy quality control](). The issue has been apparent for several weeks but has not received significant attention until now. According to complaints that *Electrek* says it's received from owners, it's brand new Teslas that are experiencing the hardware failures within just several hundred — and sometimes just several dozen — miles of driving. When the computers malfunction, it disables not only the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving modes, but more commonly used features like the vehicle's extensive suite of cameras, its GPS, navigation features, and active safety features, the site found. ## Quiet Coverup Per *Electrek's* investigation, the issue is related to the newest version of Tesla's onboard self-driving chips, dubbed HW4, which are reportedly "short-circuiting." An *Electrek* source speculated that the computer's built-in battery may be responsible for the apparent electrical error, and according to other sources inside the automaker, only Tesla models built within the past several months that are equipped with HW4 are experiencing the issue. From the outside, the breadth of the issue is difficult to gauge. But two of the anonymous insiders said that Tesla is "currently receiving a high number of complaints about this issue," though the automaker is yet to release a service bulletin. Another source alleges that Tesla service has been instructed to "play down any safety concerns related to this problem to avoid people believing their brand-new cars are not drivable." This is a serious claim to make, but the automaker has a history of [misrepresenting its own capabilities]() and [obfuscating crash reports]() that would be damaging to its image. According to *Electrek*, Tesla should have reported the issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration because a broken rear-view camera violates federal safety regulations, which would mandate the vehicles be recalled. ## One Step Backward Even by Tesla's ever-lowering standards, this sounds like an embarrassing blunder. Recall that CEO Elon Musk, not that long ago, made it sound like this new line of vaunted HW4 chips would finally provide a hardware platform powerful enough to [enable cars to fully drive themselves](). The solution is as yet unclear. If a software update can fix the issue, it could soon fade into memory. But the main fix being discussed at the company is a total computer replacement, according to *Electrek*. It's safe to say that in that case, the fallout will be costly, and the swamped status of Tesla service will likely mean that it could be months before owners could get their high-tech EVs repaired. "I am owning such a car," wrote on *Electrek* commenter, who claims to own a Model 3 delivered this September. "Driving computer broken after 1 month \[and\] 1500km of use. Still not repaired due to missing spare part." **More on Tesla:** *[Trump Admin Planning to Drop Requirement for Tesla to Report Self-Driving Crashes]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()