Transport Canada Has ‘Active Defect Investigation’ Underway for Model 3/Y HVAC System

Transport canada tesla defect

Some Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners with heat pumps in area of extreme cold have been dealing with climate control problems and no heat.

Earlier this month, Transport Canada said the problem had sparked numerous complaints by Canadians regarding the issue, which results in no heat during cold weather. At the time, the Canadian government department said they had an “Issue Assessment Investigation,” regarding the Tesla problem affecting some owners.

But on Friday, Transport Canada announced they have an “active defect investigation”, related to the “performance issues with the heating and cooling system on 2021-2022 Tesla Model 3 and Y vehicles in cold weather conditions.”

The federal department is asking Canadians to contact them by telephone at 1-800-333-0510, or online through their Defect Complaint Form, if they have experienced any issues with heating and cooling with their Model 3 or Model Y.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously addressed the issue, saying fixing the heat pump issue is “high priority”. So far, Tesla has released some rapid software updates to fix the problem, which has worked for some but not for all.

The issue is related to the front air intake flap freezing open, and blasting cold air into the system when driving on the highway, said a Tesla technician recently to a local club in Saskatchewan. As cold air passes by a sensor, that’s when the climate control will fail and the error code shown.

In the U.S., the NHTSA also said it was in talks with Tesla over the heating and cooling issue related to vehicles with heat pumps.

Tesla North has reached out to Transport Canada to find out exactly how many complaints have been lodged about this Tesla heat pump issue, and will update this story accordingly.

Have you had any heat issues with your Tesla Model 3 or Model Y that has a heat pump?