Here's How To Reboot Your Tesla Model 3

If the screen goes blank or the car appears dead, there may be a way to bring it back to life.

By: David Roper

Nov 5, 2019 at 11:30am ET

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Having problems with the screen going out in your Tesla Model 3? Or maybe the car seems totally dead. You can likely bring it back to life using these three reboot tips.

There are three Tesla Model 3 reboot levels. The processes are described below.

Screen (GPU) Reboot

If the TM3 screen freezes or otherwise does not behave properly, do the following:

1. Put the TM3 in Park.
2. Hold in both steering-wheel scroll buttons for a few seconds until the screen turns off.
3. After some wait, the Tesla emblem will show on the screen followed by a refreshed GPU.
4. My TM3LR-RWD screen froze after 21,000 miles of driving; the GPU reboot restored it.

Central Processor (CPU) and Screen (GPU) Reboot

If the TM3 does not behave properly, do the following:

1. Put the TM3 in Park.
2. Push on the brake pedal while holding in both steering-wheel scroll buttons for a few seconds until the screen turns off.
3. After some wait, the Tesla emblem will show on the screen followed by a refreshed CPU and GPU.
4. If the problem is that the TM3 will not pair with a smartphone, also turn off the smartphone and turn it back on while the CPU/GPU is rebooting.
5. My TM3LR-RWD would not pair to my Android smartphone after 21,000 miles of driving although the smartphone would pair to other devices; the GPU/CPU reboot fixed the problem.

Hard Vehicle Reboot

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If neither of the two previous reboots (GPU & GPU/CPU) solve a bad-behavior problem, do the following:

1. Put the TM3 in park.
2. Open the front hood and pull off the cover over the 12-volts battery that is in front of the windshield.
3. Use a 10-mm wrench or pliers to unhook the cable from the visible terminal of the 12-volts battery.
4. Then, after a few seconds, reattach the cable to the 12-volts battery.
5. My TM3LR-RWD after 10,000 miles of driving would not allow charging after it had been charged by a defective Level 2 charging station. Technicians at a Tesla shop, after some experimentation, found this solution. (I keep a 10-mm wrench in the car!)