An issue you might be running into is the screen on your Tesla is frozen. When your Teslas screen is frozen this prevents you from accessing key functions such as climate control and navigation.
If you have a frozen screen on your Tesla it is recommended that you should not drive until this issue is fixed, you do not know if this is a larger issue with the vehicle.
A frozen screen on your Tesla could be multiple things from needing a soft reboot, faulty software updates, issues with your eMMC (Embedded Multimedia Card) and MCU (Media Control Unit), or even the music streaming services you are using.
There are ways you can troubleshoot this issue yourself to see if your screen starts working once more. Do keep in mind at any point you do not feel comfortable fixing this issue yourself contact the Tesla support team to help you.
Why is My Tesla Screen Frozen?
The reason why the screen is frozen on your Tesla could vary from needing a soft reboot to issues with your eMMC. Some of these issues have easy fixes, however, if these fixes do not work you might need to contact the support team or hire a professional.
There are YouTube videos out there if you need a visual aid to guide you with troubleshooting your frozen screen. When you see the frozen screen on your Tesla do not freak out right away this can be something that you can fix easily.
Note: This article is for if your screen is frozen, but if the screen won’t turn on, I’ve done an article on this that has a plethora of fixes.
Listed below I will be going over the reason why your Tesla screen could be freezing up, and how you can fix these issues yourself.
1. Tesla Needs a Soft/Hard Reboot
If you are sitting in your Tesla and notice that your screen is frozen do not panic, this is a common issue. Your Tesla could just need a soft reboot, which is something that needs to be done from time to time.
Your touchscreen controls a lot of functions on the vehicle, just like your tablet or smartphone glitches can happen. When this glitch happens like your smartphone or tablet all it might need is a soft reboot.
If a soft reboot does not work you can do a power cycle, which is also known as a hard reboot on your Tesla.
Fix – Soft/Hard Reboot Your Tesla
Doing a soft reboot on your Tesla is an easy thing you can do yourself; there are a few steps that you will need to take.
If your screen is frozen this should be one of the first things that you try to solve the issue.
If a soft reboot does not unfreeze your screen you can perform a hard reboot on your Tesla it is also known as a power cycle. Follow these steps below to do a soft and hard reboot on your Tesla.
Soft Reboot on Your Tesla
- Place your Tesla in “Park”
- On the steering wheel you will hold down both scroll buttons for 30 seconds or until the screen turns black
- After doing this and waiting a few seconds you should see the Tesla logo appear, restarting your touchscreen.
Note, you can do this while driving but it is strongly recommended to do it while you are parked. If you do this while driving, keep your focus on the road and make sure you are not distracted.
Hard Reboot on Your Tesla
- Your vehicle must be in “Park”
- All doors must be closed
- At the bottom of the screen tap on the “Car” icon
- Tap on the “Safety”
- Then tap on “Power Off”
- It will ask you to confirm to power off your Tesla, tap on “Power Off” again.
- Once your Tesla is off, wait for at least 2-4 minutes, do not open the doors, touch the screen, tap on the break, or wake up your Tesla.
- After a few minutes press on the brake to wake up your Tesla
Note, if that did not work you can remove all the devices connected to your USB connections in the glovebox and attempt a hard reset once again.
2. Tesla Software Update is Faulty
One of the main reasons why your Tesla screen is frozen could be a faulty software update. Like all smart devices your Tesla vehicle has an intelligent operating system that will need updates and these updates can cause glitches on your Tesla like having a frozen screen.
When these glitches happen it can be frustrating because you expect the updates to help your Tesla not create glitches, but this happens sometimes. Thankfully there is a way you can fix this issue yourself.
You can perform a soft reboot on your Tesla to unfreeze the screen and if that does not work you can also do a hard reboot also known as a power cycle.
Note, you might have to contact support if this is a faulty software update and the reboots did not solve the issue.
Fix – Perform a Soft/Hard Reboot on Your Tesla
Your Tesla has updates sometimes and on some occasions the updates can have glitches like your touch screen freezing up.
If you are experiencing a frozen screen on your Tesla due to a faulty software update the first thing you can do is perform a soft reboot. When you perform a soft reboot and your screen is still frozen you can do a power cycle also known as a hard reboot on your Tesla.
I listed the steps above in the first reason, follow those steps to do a soft and hard reboot on your Tesla to fix this glitch.
3. Issues With the eMMC (Embedded Multimedia Card) or the MCU (Media Control Unit)
This is an issue that is more common in older models of Tesla, the eMMC can become overloaded or defective. The MCU can also become outdated and defective as well.
Both of these issues can cause bugs in the system and can be the cause of your screen to be frozen. The eMMC is a primary storage unit in your Tesla when it is experiencing high stress levels it can cause your Tesla to experience glitches and can also put wear and tear over time.
Fix – Schedule a Tesla Service Appointment
The eMMC and the MCU are similar when it comes to upgrades, sadly if you are experiencing issues with the eMMC or the MCU there is nothing you can do to fix it yourself.
This is an issue that is better done by the professionals. Schedule a Tesla Service Appointment at your nearest Tesla service center. They will either update or replace the eMMC or the MCU, which should fix the frozen screen on your Tesla.
Note, check to see if there is a recall in the model of Tesla you own, the older models of Tesla do have come recalls because of the eMMC or the MCU.
4. Music Streaming Service is Not Compatible
When experiencing a frozen screen on your Tesla a common reason is because the music streaming service you are using is not compatible with your Tesla, like Spotify.
The issue is mainly when using the screen menu to change from the radio to your music streaming service. Tesla does make sure that you can still have use of the full screen while using music streaming services.
This is because there is a communication issue in the software level that can cause the screen display to shut down or freeze up. There is an easy way you can fix this issue when you are experiencing your screen freezing up while streaming music.
Fix – Do a Soft/Hard Reboot on Your Tesla
When your screen is freezing up due to the music streaming service you are using, doing a soft reboot should be the first thing you do. Follow the steps above in the first fix to do a soft reboot on your Tesla.
If doing a soft reboot on your Tesla did not reset your screen then try doing a power cycle also known as a hard reboot. Follow the step that I listed in the first fix to perform a power cycle on your Tesla.
This should fix the issue if the frozen screen is due to a not compatible music streaming service.
5. Tesla Needs a Factory Reset
The last thing you should try when experiencing a frozen screen on your Tesla is a factory reset, with that being said it is an option.
Doing a factory reset on your Tesla will reset your Tesla to the default settings, which can clear any glitches/bugs that can be present in your Tesla. Doing a factory is something to consider when experiencing a technical issue.
Note, you should contact the Tesla support team before doing this to see if there are other options or if there is something they can do.
Fix – Factory Reset Your Tesla
You can do a factory reset in your Tesla. Do keep in mind that doing this will erase all personal information that is linked to your Tesla, you will have to set up your Tesla all over again as if you just bought it.
Follow these steps to do a factory reset on your Tesla. Note, if you can not do this on your touchscreen on your Tesla you can do a factory reset on your Tesla app on your smart device.
- Place your Tesla in “Park”
- Makes sure all the doors are closed
- At the bottom left screen tap on the “Car” icon
- Tap on the “Service” option
- Tap on “Factory Reset”
- You will need to put in your Tesla accounts username and password
- Wait a few minutes for the factory reset to complete, this should fix the frozen screen issue.
