A Single Component Can Brick Older Teslas
Model 3 owner here. Having same issue as back in March. No AP, no FSD and most frustratingly, no cruise control. Multiple TS steps over phone with no resolution. The earliest appointment was months out so I drove into a service center. A frazzled, yet personable, tech assured me that the issue was NOT from the recent FW update but rather a hardware malfunction with the left repeater. I pressed for details- is it wiring, hardware, physical damage? He couldn’t tell me, but insisted that it had nothing to do with the previous FW update and that another FW update wouldn’t resolve it<p>Tech scheduled a service appointment for 4-13, much better than I could find in the app. On 4-4 Tesla pushed a FW update, which I guess is pretty common before a service appointment. On 4-5, a Tesla rep reached out and said the issue WAS in fact, with the original FW update and that the more recent FW update had resolved:<p>“Hello Sam,<p>We have reviewed your vehicle logs and alerts. At this time we do not see any issues with the Autopilot system as well as you confirming that the system is operating as designed. Since this is the case there will be no  need for you to come in for your scheduled appointment. While there is no way to say that you will never have an issue again, at this time there is no issue that needs correction. If you do have an issue in the future you are always welcome to create another appointment with your concerns.”<p>I responded:<p>“Ok- I’d still like to understand what happened. It is generally acceptable that the universe is getting more disorderly. It is perfectly acceptable that something goes wrong and we don’t know why. It’s significantly less understandable, that the issue mysteriously resolves it self. Does that make sense?”<p>Tesla Response:<p>“Hi Sam,<p>It was found to be a software bug in the last update that was performed causing your cruise control not to function. That was resolved in the last update you performed.”<p>The rep then canceled the 4-13 appointment without further explanation or communication.<p>The issue returned yesterday (5-13) and now the earliest appointment is mid June.<p>Cruise control existed in 1958. I get that Tesla has “tight integration” but the lack of a fall back&#x2F;degraded performance mode seems ridiculous. This is before considering the lack of NoAP and FSD, which adds insult to injury- Those features represented nearly 15% of the vehicle cost in my case ($8,000 upfront).<p>Convenience in LA traffic was a primary consideration when purchasing the Tesla. The lack access to purchased features is irritating, but I knew they were bleeding edge. The further loss of a ubiquitous feature like cruise control is even more irritating. Tesla’s handling of the situation feels ridiculous.