According to a KBA spokesman, the German motor transport authority has launched an inquiry into the safety risks associated with possible touchscreen failure on Tesla’s vehicles, formally asking the electric car manufacturer for information on the matter (via Reuters).
The issue being investigated is a Media Control Unit (MCU) failure that renders Tesla’s touchscreens completely inoperable, effectively killing off the vehicle’s camera displays and posing a safety risk.
After tentatively concluding its investigation of the same issue, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered Tesla to recall a total of 158,000 units of the Model S (2012-2018) and Model X (2016-2018) just last week.
The latest of the NHTSA’s numerous probes into various issues (like front suspension failure and trim inadequacies) with Tesla’s cars, the investigation saw the federal regulator review 12,523 complaints of the issue, giving the investigated pool of units a failure rate of 8%.
The KBA spokesperson also told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that the regulator was already in contact with the NHTSA, but that the KBA would conduct its own inquiry on the matter.
“The result of the review is still pending,” added the spokesperson.
Tesla has yet to comment on the still-developing situation.
Recently, the company dropped the price of its MCU upgrade for Model S and Model X owners by $1,000, down to $2,500 USD. It’s unclear if owners dealing with touchscreen issues are going to pay for an upgrade themselves or hope Tesla will implement a fix.
