Tesla Symbols
So, what is that light on your dashboard? What follows is easily the most complete list available of symbols and warnings that may appear in and on your car’s dashboard or instrument cluster.
The following are warning lights and indicators found in vehicles built by Tesla. Lacking an internal combustion engine, their models use fewer warning lights then most. Nevertheless, those that are used are here. Click the link to the right of each one to learn more.
How They Are Presented
They are roughly ordered by importance, which tends to be by color (red, amber, yellow, orange, green, blue). There are only about 35 of them, but search carefully anyway!
Need the symbols for another manufacturer? Click here!
Models examined include the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
The driver pulled over describes the computer as “his only center console” when he clearly meant something else and stated that it handles his air conditioning.
Some weeks earlier, we had received this thank you (right) for one of our videos, covering a Mini in this case. We’ve transcribed it here, ‘as is’.
Only a few manufacturers give a useful message if starting the car fails as shown to the right. And while we had at one time hoped that the industry would move to make this clear in every vehicle, most still simply refer the driver to the manual.
An Actual Death Trap
electronic everything, right down to the door latches. It is also the result of very, very poor design.
up option, it is not remotely obvious and effectively not intuitive.
been out of his car much sooner.
inside. I immediately pointed out that there IS a way out — just not where you would expect to look. The unlock button is placed in the middle of the dashboard, and the entire group was clearly unfamiliar with this quirk in a BMW. And it belongs exclusively to BMW.
Back to technology and design, Tesla’s vehicles all feature electronic latches. As to getting out, the rear doors in the Model S require pulling a cable located under each rear seat. The front doors are released mechanically from the inside.
The latest Lincoln Continental also has electronic door latches. A back up release is just below the armrest but still on the door, and only the driver’s door. However, Lincoln says that the doors will not remain latched if the power goes out.
There are three basic locations to try, as shown in the image, but experience tells us you might just as well skip to the last one. The first, top to bottom, is to simply drop the key fob into the cup holder. If this fails, hold the key fob against the front of the console, as we are doing in the image (second). There are several places that can be tried in this case alone.
If all these fail, the next recommendation is to remove the battery from the fob and run through the options again. As it happens, this is exactly what we had to do with the Model X we had and we landed at the base of the console before the car recognized the fob. That location, with the key fob resting in place, is shown in the second image. The fob was recognized at last and we were able to operate the car.
If you were given a key card, place it against the left side of the of the space at the front of the center console just below the screen, as shown to the right. The vehicle will recognize the card, the instrument panel will come to life and the car will be ready for action. Don’t lose the card!
If your mobile phone has gone dead or is missing, place the key card on the center console behind and between the two cup holders. The car will recognize the card and will allow it to be driven.
In the earliest versions of the Model S, the back of key fob is to be placed against the passenger side front fender, somewhat below and to the right of the emblem, as shown in the image. When the fob is recognized, the door handles will extend as they do normally.
The concept is the same in the newer Model S, but the location is changed. However, it remains on the passenger side. Place the key fob near the base of the passenger side windshield wiper. The image to the right shows the exact spot that worked in the model we tested, and we tried several. Then press the driver’s door handle. The handles will extend if it is recognized, but it took a full 20 seconds in the car we tested. Try repositioning the fob if this fails. If it continues not to be recognized, try removing the battery and go back through the process.
Tesla’s Model X uses an entirely different back up location. There again is no hard key or key cylinder. In addition, the door handles do not extend in normal operation as with the Model S. The mirrors will extend when the key fob is recognized.
To get in, the key card is placed on the door frame between the front and rear doors on the driver’s side and just above the bottom of the windows, as shown. As with other models, the mirrors will extend inviting you inside. The vehicles can be locked this way as well.
Its Time for the Industry to Adopt Over the Air Updates
OTA Updates
Ever since Tesla introduced the idea of over the air (OTA) software updates with its Model S sedan, the rest of the industry has been scrambling to
catch up. Ford and GM will reportedly be ready with the 2020 model year, and the last 6 weeks or so have truly provided the evidence that it is sorely needed, now.
In that time, 10 recalls have been issued impacting 2.8 million vehicles, each of which was software related and all potentially safety issues.
The industry has plunged headlong into computer control of just about everything, without considering improving the methods for upgrades, recalls or clever problem solving. For instance, when Tesla’s sedans were striking debris in roadways and damaging battery packs, part of the fix was an over the air software change that literally raised the vehicle’s height in relation to the road.
The Recalls
The 10 current recalls include a software issue that causes the low fuel warning light to not come on when fuel is actually low, which could lead to a driver running out of fuel.
The third is a transmission calibration issue that can lead to stalling.
The fourth involves air bags, which is particularly galling given the attention paid to these devices over the last few years.
The fifth is a stuck purge valve that starts with the programming of the Powertrain Control Module.
Numbers 6, 7 and 9 revolve around the Electronic Control Unit, one of which hits the air bags again, while the last one includes another fire risk.
And finally number 10 leaves a back up camera inoperable.
The central issue across the board is software, and as cars become more and more computerized, you can bet that these issues will increase as well. But at legacy manufacturers, electronic systems have been added piece by piece with essentially no central core in control and no consideration given to over the air connectivity. Thus pretty much every recall requires the vehicle to be taken to a dealer for updates.
And while we see this as a safety and convenience issue for drivers, according to IHS Automotive manufacturers stand to save over $30 billion in recall costs by 2022 if over the air updates can be implemented.
Hacking risks exist in vehicles already and will be exacerbated by over the air connections. These issues simply need solutions and cannot be an excuse to avoid the bigger fix. But we would caution manufacturers not to follow the examples set by our computers and cell phones.
We have all experienced odd behavior from our devices only to discover that an update had been downloading while the devices were in use. This simply cannot happen in our cars. The
announcement shown in the picture of a Tesla screen would be more than sufficient to cover an update.
And we are assuming that new software was not actually downloaded before the message was shown. And if this is not the case, it damn well should be. Gumming up the works with a download while a car is in use is down right dangerous.
Make no mistake, software and software updates are a dicey game to play with moving vehicles. Aside from the recalls noted, a September software update by Tesla disabled their Auto Pilot
system rather than improving it. Other manufacturers, where they have the capability to update their infotainment centers, have experienced similar problems. Mistakes of this type could impact a far more critical system in any car at any time.
Now we’ve clearly oversimplified the issue. It’s not easy to turn around the methods used by existing manufacturers or to control the cost of those changes and the over the air data delivery. Also as we’ve seen too often in the industry, there are no standards for something that a few years ago simply wasn’t even on anyone’s mind outside of Tesla.
But leaving a driver in a car that has a fire risk or other safety issue that was likely caused by, and can be fixed by software changes is not acceptable in a computerized and wirelessly connected world.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY