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Cruise Control unavailable, with a twist (loss of all driver assistance features too)

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Andyw2100

Well-Known Member
Oct 22, 2014
6,547
2,448
Ithaca, NY
I was driving on the highway this afternoon in clear conditions, using the TACC, and it was working just fine. About 30 minutes into my trip I received two error messages on the dash. The first was that the Cruise Control was unavailable, and the second (picture included) was that "Driver Assistance Features Unavailable", and that I should "Contact Tesla Service" which I did. (They're looking into it and will call me back.)

I know several people have reported issues with Cruise Control being unavailable since TACC has been added, but I don't recall reading about anyone losing the other Driver Assistance Features. I checked, and in fact I did lose the other features. My Lane assist was no longer functioning, speed assist was not functioning, and though I did not realize it for a while, the highbeam assist was also not functioning. (I had started out before dusk, and it was not yet dark when I lost these features, so it took me a little while to realize I was driving with my highbeams on, as I had not made the connection between them and the other driver assistance features.)

Also of note: while I had both error messages alternating on the dash, I also had an exclamation point error message on the 17 inch display, next to the Tesla icon at the top. But selecting it only showed the cruise control error message. The error message about the driver assistance features was not available here. I thought that was odd.

I'm on software version .113, so perhaps I'll be pushed .114 and that may solve the problem. Or maybe they'll come up with something else to solve the problem. I'll report back when I hear from Tesla again.

Driver Assist Unavailable.jpg
 
I heard from Tesla this morning. They suggested that there is something physical--possibly ice or road salt--obstructing the radar unit. I've been instructed to see if that is the case, clear it off, reboot the car, and see if that clears the error. My wife has the car at work, so this isn't going to happen immediately. I will again report back when I have an update.

Interestingly, I did come up with the possibility of the radar being blocked on my own this morning, before Tesla called, and was annoyed I hadn't thought to check it yesterday. But then I thought that probably wasn't it, since some of the functions being affected rely on the camera, and shouldn't need the radar. In retrospect perhaps I am mistaken about that. (Would lane assist be using the radar?)

In any case, I will update again when I have more information.
 
I heard from Tesla this morning. They suggested that there is something physical--possibly ice or road salt--obstructing the radar unit.

Well, it looks like they hit the nail on the head, and I feel like an idiot for not thinking of this myself yesterday and checking it. I just received the picture below from my wife. She decided not to try to remove the ice in her parking garage, so we'll take care of it when she gets home.

I have no idea how the unit was functioning at all just before it stopped if it was blocked nearly as badly as that. I guess it's possible the entire chunk of ice flew up onto the radar unit and then froze in place, but that seems somewhat unlikely.

How long until we see a heated radar unit as part of the cold weather package? Can I get a retrofit, please?

radar unit frozen.jpg
 
Andy,

I seem to have the same issue, except the car has been washed and there is not ice/snow on the radar unit. Maybe there is something else going on?

I haven't removed the ice yet, so can't say that this will solve my problem for certain, but I was told to reboot the car after removing the ice. If you had ice blocking your radar unit when you first received the error, and then removed the obstruction by washing the car, if you have not rebooted the car, I think that could explain why you are still seeing the error message.

If, of course, you have rebooted the car after having cleared the obstruction then I have no explanation for you.
 
I haven't removed the ice yet, so can't say that this will solve my problem for certain, but I was told to reboot the car after removing the ice. If you had ice blocking your radar unit when you first received the error, and then removed the obstruction by washing the car, if you have not rebooted the car, I think that could explain why you are still seeing the error message.

If, of course, you have rebooted the car after having cleared the obstruction then I have no explanation for you.

I have rebooted after cleaning the car. Waiting for a call back for Tesla now.
 
I have rebooted after cleaning the car. Waiting for a call back for Tesla now.

I'll be interested in hearing what they say, as for all I know I may find myself in the same situation in a little while.

Edit: Well, it's later now, and I have cleared the ice and rebooted the car and I too still have the problem. I called Tesla, and at this point I'm going to try driving it for a while, to see if perhaps the rada recognizes that it is clear again on its own, and clears the error. If that does not work the service advisor now helping me is going to walk me through pulling the fuse to attempt a hard reset instead of the soft reset I've been doing.

Updates to come...
 
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Driving around did not resolve the issue.

While I was out the service advisor called to say that he had spoken to engineering, and they advised that a hard reset would not help. The service advisor is now waiting to hear back from engineering with respect to what to do next.

After three calls from Tesla, at least three reboots of the screens, (which did not seem to help), and driving for about 5 miles, the Driver Assistance Features Unavailable message disappeared. Cruise control was still not working and still showed an error until I stopped and shut off the car. The car seems to be working perfectly now. I am not really sure if it was the drive or the reboots that resolved the issue.
 
After three calls from Tesla, at least three reboots of the screens, (which did not seem to help), and driving for about 5 miles, the Driver Assistance Features Unavailable message disappeared. Cruise control was still not working and still showed an error until I stopped and shut off the car. The car seems to be working perfectly now. I am not really sure if it was the drive or the reboots that resolved the issue.

You're in a lot better shape than me.

The service advisor I've been dealing with says that engineering says that the ice must have thrown off the radar unit's calibration, and the car needs to go to the service center to have it re-calibrated. As I'm a couple of hundred miles away from the nearest service center, they're going to have to arrange for trailer transportation for the car.

If this proves to be correct, my concern is how is Tesla going to stop this from happening on a semi-regular basis?
 
Doug, you are right about Californians not getting winter driving. Can't even drive in the rain! I have always wondered how the radar would work in cold climates. Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me to put a sensor like that down at road level, where we know it will get trashed with snow and salt. Should have been put up in the wiper area so it could be cleared.

A former Northern New Englander.
 
Doug, you are right about Californians not getting winter driving. Can't even drive in the rain! I have always wondered how the radar would work in cold climates. Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me to put a sensor like that down at road level, where we know it will get trashed with snow and salt. Should have been put up in the wiper area so it could be cleared.

A former Northern New Englander.

I agree with you and can share my sensor related experiences with my Volvo XC60 which has a 2011 implementation of ACC, BLIS and CitySafe.
Volvo have designed their system with inclement weather in mind. Each sensor has a spritzer nozzle that washes the sensor. The washers activate on the 2nd
or 3rd time you use the windshield washer. Only the BLIS cameras do not have washers as they are backwards facing being mounted in the L & R rear view
side mirror brackets (however those mirrors are heated).

There are quiet a few sensors on the Volvo and any one of them being compromised with snow, ice, rain or road salt film/dust will render any one to all three systems compromised or unavailable.

In dealing with these sensors and cameras, here are a few pearls of wisdom that I have gathered.

1). Do not rely on these systems in inclement weather
2). Keep your auto clean and washed and the windshield washer full for the spritzers (Volvo)
3). Know the location of all sensors front and back and in the windshield
4). Regularly spray each sensor with RAIN-X and clean the sensor, this allows dreck to flow off easier
5). Keep a spray bottle of RAIN-X windshield washer detergent in the trunk to clean sensors while on the road... towels too.

I know the newer S's have the radar sensor in the lower front grill area (do not understand the concave box it is in, should be convex IMHO) and also a gathering of sensors/camera in the upper center of the front windshield (in front of the rear view mirror) (are they cleaned by the windshield wipers??).

However, I do not know the location of the rear sensors (other than the backup camera) on the S and those that would eventually be used by the BLIS ) Blind Spot Information System.

I know it will be essential for all to keep these sensors clean and clear if you are going to rely upon them.
Tesla may be able to improve and refine future versions of the sensor systems by seeing what other manufacturers have done.
 
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After three calls from Tesla, at least three reboots of the screens, (which did not seem to help), and driving for about 5 miles, the Driver Assistance Features Unavailable message disappeared. Cruise control was still not working and still showed an error until I stopped and shut off the car. The car seems to be working perfectly now. I am not really sure if it was the drive or the reboots that resolved the issue.

My wife called a little while ago, on her way home from work, to say the car had somehow, like yours, healed itself. It must have taken something like 80-100 miles after we had cleared the obstruction.

The radar unit is going to get obstructed with some frequency. There's just no avoiding that with the current design, driving in winter conditions. Where Tesla needs to improve things is in having the car be able to recognize that the obstruction has been cleared and being able to go back to normal operation in a timely fashion. I'm very happy the car was able to do this, recalibrate, etc., whatever on its own, without the trip to the service center that engineering actually wanted to schedule. But I would have been happier if it had happened immediately after the obstruction was cleared, as opposed to 24 hours, several restarts, and 80-100 miles later. I imagine Tesla will improve upon this, as they improve everything else. And of course next time this happens I'll know to be patient, and if anyone in engineering tries to schedule a service visit I'll know to give it a little time before going ahead with it.