- Joined
- Jan 6, 2026
- Messages
- 18
- Reaction score
- 10
- Cars
- Gravity GT, '18 Model X
I’ve commented in the 3.4 software thread before, but this situation has gone beyond a routine software discussion and I wanted it in its own post.
Weeks ago, the 3.4 OTA update failed overnight and left the vehicle essentially bricked. The key fob and key cards stopped functioning entirely. The phone could unlock the car, but the vehicle was not drivable in any practical sense.
Customer Care initially told me another update would be pushed. That never happened. When I didn’t hear back, I had to contact the service center myself in order to get Mobile Service engaged. That alone took about a day because Customer Care and the service center apparently do not directly coordinate.
Mobile Service ultimately made four separate visits. During those visits, they replaced the center console and focused heavily on trying to get the keys functioning again. From my perspective, there was very little emphasis on understanding why the software update had failed in the first place, but it’s not my call.
After the fourth visit, engineering determined that the OTA update had failed partway through and corrupted the access control module. The technician’s computer could communicate with the module, but something within it was corrupted, which explains why the keys stopped working. So this appears to be directly tied to the incomplete update. They needed to overnight the part and it might take a few days.
Then about a week and a half in, the decision was made to tow the vehicle without first installing the module.
For context, I am roughly 200 miles from the nearest service center, so towing is not simple. Unfortunately, that process turned into a complete comedy of errors. There were multiple failed tow attempts because of coordination breakdowns. Wrong equipment was dispatched. A tow truck arrived without a technician present to disengage the parking brake and place the vehicle in “neutral”. There were scheduling disconnects between dispatch, Mobile Service, and the towing provider. It took another week before the car was successfully towed.
My Mobile Service tech told me the service center wanted the car there so they could work on it nonstop until it was fixed. That sounded reassuring at the time.
However, once the vehicle arrived, I again had to call for an update. I was told it would be another 13 to 17 days to resolve due to backlog. The car is currently sitting in the lot in queue without a technician assigned.
That disconnect is hard to ignore. After weeks of downtime already, being told the car would receive continuous attention and then learning it is simply waiting in line for over another week does not communicate urgency.
By the time this is resolved, I will likely have gone well over a month without my vehicle while the lease ticks down. A rental was provided, which I appreciate, but the broader concern is the coordination and overall execution surrounding what began as a failed OTA update.
To be fair, every individual I have dealt with has been professional and appeared competent. The issue does not seem to be at the individual level. The breakdown appears to happen when coordination is required across Customer Care, Mobile Service, engineering, the service center, dispatch, and towing.
At this point, this feels less like unlucky timing and more like a systemic coordination failure.
So I am asking the community:
Is a fully bricked vehicle caused by a failed OTA update, combined with a 30-plus day resolution timeline, within the normal range right now? Or is this well outside what owners should reasonably expect?
My issue isn’t with the failed software update as I know these kinds of things can happen. I’m concerned with coordination issues and extremely slow issue resolution times especially when the car is mot drivable.
I would appreciate perspective from other owners.
Weeks ago, the 3.4 OTA update failed overnight and left the vehicle essentially bricked. The key fob and key cards stopped functioning entirely. The phone could unlock the car, but the vehicle was not drivable in any practical sense.
Customer Care initially told me another update would be pushed. That never happened. When I didn’t hear back, I had to contact the service center myself in order to get Mobile Service engaged. That alone took about a day because Customer Care and the service center apparently do not directly coordinate.
Mobile Service ultimately made four separate visits. During those visits, they replaced the center console and focused heavily on trying to get the keys functioning again. From my perspective, there was very little emphasis on understanding why the software update had failed in the first place, but it’s not my call.
After the fourth visit, engineering determined that the OTA update had failed partway through and corrupted the access control module. The technician’s computer could communicate with the module, but something within it was corrupted, which explains why the keys stopped working. So this appears to be directly tied to the incomplete update. They needed to overnight the part and it might take a few days.
Then about a week and a half in, the decision was made to tow the vehicle without first installing the module.
For context, I am roughly 200 miles from the nearest service center, so towing is not simple. Unfortunately, that process turned into a complete comedy of errors. There were multiple failed tow attempts because of coordination breakdowns. Wrong equipment was dispatched. A tow truck arrived without a technician present to disengage the parking brake and place the vehicle in “neutral”. There were scheduling disconnects between dispatch, Mobile Service, and the towing provider. It took another week before the car was successfully towed.
My Mobile Service tech told me the service center wanted the car there so they could work on it nonstop until it was fixed. That sounded reassuring at the time.
However, once the vehicle arrived, I again had to call for an update. I was told it would be another 13 to 17 days to resolve due to backlog. The car is currently sitting in the lot in queue without a technician assigned.
That disconnect is hard to ignore. After weeks of downtime already, being told the car would receive continuous attention and then learning it is simply waiting in line for over another week does not communicate urgency.
By the time this is resolved, I will likely have gone well over a month without my vehicle while the lease ticks down. A rental was provided, which I appreciate, but the broader concern is the coordination and overall execution surrounding what began as a failed OTA update.
To be fair, every individual I have dealt with has been professional and appeared competent. The issue does not seem to be at the individual level. The breakdown appears to happen when coordination is required across Customer Care, Mobile Service, engineering, the service center, dispatch, and towing.
At this point, this feels less like unlucky timing and more like a systemic coordination failure.
So I am asking the community:
Is a fully bricked vehicle caused by a failed OTA update, combined with a 30-plus day resolution timeline, within the normal range right now? Or is this well outside what owners should reasonably expect?
My issue isn’t with the failed software update as I know these kinds of things can happen. I’m concerned with coordination issues and extremely slow issue resolution times especially when the car is mot drivable.
I would appreciate perspective from other owners.
