Updated at: 29-06-2022 - By: Lucas

Tesla has become the biggest maker of electric cars in the world. Even so, that doesn’t mean they never have problems.

If your screen has ever frozen, you know how annoying it can be. Most of the time, though, you can fix them without any trouble.

Just do a soft reset, and it will usually start working again. Or, you might need to do a hard reset instead. In either case, you should soon have a screen that works again.

Methods to Reset a Tesla Screen

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For most Teslas, the easiest thing to do would be to do a soft reset. But there are times when you might need to do a hard reset. How you do this will depend on your model.

The master computer unit 1 (MCU1) is in some Teslas. Some people have the MCU2, or Master Computer Unit 2. You will change how you reset them.

On some models, you can also just reset the touch screen. You can do this even when you’re driving. So, it could be a good way to solve your problem without having to stop.

If you have a Model S or X, you most likely have an MCU1. Follow these steps for these cars.

Both scroll wheels need to be pressed down at the same time. Keep pressing them until the screen turns off. It should start up again in a few minutes. Most of the time, refreshing will take between 10 and 15 seconds. Most of the time, this makes the screen work again.

You can’t do a complete soft reboot without being in Park. So, pull over if the touchscreen restart didn’t work.

Once you put the car in Park, close all the doors. If the touchscreen still works, go to the menu of controls. Find the safety and security screen from there. Go to that screen and look for an option to turn off the device. Press that button and wait for the screen to start up again.

You can use a different method if the touchscreen doesn’t work. Put your foot on the brake pedal and keep it there. You will press 4 buttons while you do that. Keep both scroll wheels pressed down at the same time. Press the buttons above the scroll wheels as well.

Make sure you keep your foot on the brake pedal as you press all 4 buttons. Keep doing that until the screen starts to work again.

Most of the time, that will fix a screen that is frozen. If not, you’ll have to do a hard reset. A power cycle is another name for this.

To do this, you have to take the batteries out of the device.

If you’re not sure how to do this, you might want to ask a pro for help. But it’s not hard to do on your own.

First, turn off the air conditioning system. Then, roll the window all the way down for the driver.

Open the trunk next. Now, take out the storage unit from under the hood. Then,

the panels on top of the batteries need to be taken off. Once they are visible, take the ground cable off. That one has a minus sign next to it.

Insulate the terminal after you’ve taken the ground wire off. Then, disconnect the loop for the first responder. That should turn off the battery for sure.

Wait a few minutes while the battery is taken out of the car. After that, first connect the cable to the ground. Then re-connect the first responder loop.

Last, put the battery’s cover back on. And put the storage unit under the hood back in its place.

If you’ve done everything right, you should be able to reset the Tesla.

You can also do the same thing with more recent units. The soft reset would be the only difference. On them, you won’t have to hold down four buttons. You just have to keep both scroll wheels down.

What Causes Frozen Screens?

There are many things that can cause a screen to freeze. They seem to happen more often with Teslas that have the MCU1. This older computer module can’t handle as much work as newer ones.

If your computer screen keeps freezing, try updating the system. By doing this, the screen might not freeze again.

Drivers often say that they have problems after new software is installed. Not all of the updates work as well as others. People don’t always keep their software up to date. So, you might want to see if yours has been updated recently.

Switching USB drives while you’re on the road could also cause the screen to freeze. Remember when it gets cold enough to freeze. If it happens when you switch USBs, that might be the issue.

Another reason could be that there is a problem with the multimedia card that is built in. The memory on older Teslas wasn’t enough. So, they began to crash more often.

But Tesla issued a recall for drivers who were having this problem. Take it to the dealership closest to you to see if they can help.

Can You Reset a Tesla Screen While Driving?

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While you are driving, you can’t do a full reset. Neither the soft reset or the hard reset will work.

But you don’t have to stop the car to reset a touchscreen. To do this, just hold down both scroll wheel buttons at the same time. Hold them down until you see the screen start up again.

You won’t be able to change settings while the screen is off. Your lights won’t turn on. Or, you can’t turn them off if they were already on.

The computer units won’t be affected by a touchscreen reboot. But it will often fix a screen that is frozen. This is easier to do because you don’t have to stop.

If your screen looks like it’s frozen, first try the touchscreen reboot. It doesn’t take long, and most of the time it fixes the problem.

How Do You Fix a Black Screen on a Tesla?

Most of the time, a black or blank screen is caused by a problem with the eMMC. That’s the multimedia card that’s built in. This keeps track of everything about the driver while you’re on the road.

The memory in old Teslas was only 8 GB. If you drive a lot, you might fill them all the way. Then, the screen will start giving you trouble.

You might not be able to fix them by turning the computer off and on again. Because of this, you have to go to a dealership.

Models that had this problem were called back by Tesla. Since this is the case, they will replace the eMMC for free. You won’t have any more screen problems after you’ve changed it.

Even if you paid for the repair somewhere else, Tesla will give you money back. Just get in touch with them and tell them what happened.