Tesla software bugs in 2025 and 2026 have increasingly moved from minor UI glitches to critical safety-related malfunctions, often requiring immediate Over-the-Air (OTA) patches to prevent physical accidents.
Here is the list of 5 labels for Tesla Software-Driven Feature Malfunctions:
Front Hood Latch Detection Failure (Recall),
Cause: A 2024–2025 mass recall affecting ~1.8 million vehicles (Model 3, Y, S, X) involved software that failed to detect if the front hood (frunk) was unlatched. This allowed the car to reach highway speeds where wind force would flip the hood open, blinding the driver.
Solution: Tesla pushed firmware version 2024.20.3 (and subsequent 2025 versions) to implement more aggressive latch-state polling. If the latch is physically deformed (common on China-made hardware), a physical replacement is required.
"Swerve-Brake" Autopilot Logic,
Cause: A 2025 software "Summer Drop" introduced a bug where the vehicle would occasionally initiate a turn signal and brake simultaneously during an Autopilot lane change, causing the car to "swerve" toward highway barriers.
Solution: A rapid hotfix (2025.26.1) was released to recalibrate the neural network's lane-change confidence levels. Drivers are advised to keep "Confirm Lane Changes" set to ON to prevent autonomous errors.
Adaptive Headlight "Blind" Errors,
Cause: Owners of 2026 "Juniper" Model Y and Model 3 units report the error VCFRONT_a004, where the matrix LED headlights fail to adapt or steer into corners, often following a heavy rain event or car wash that confuses the sensor logic.
Solution: A "Deep Sleep" cycle (leaving the car for 1 hour) typically resets the headlight control module. Permanent stability was added in the January 2026 software update, which improved the moisture-tolerance logic for the front camera housing.
Smart Summon "Curb-Strike" Bug,
Cause: In 2025 and early 2026, many "Vision-only" vehicles (lacking ultrasonic sensors) experienced a software bug where the vehicle miscalculated the height of curbs, causing the car to drive over or scrape its wheels during "Actually Smart Summon" (ASS) maneuvers.
Solution: Tesla's FSD v13.x update includes high-fidelity occupancy networks to better map low-lying objects. Users are cautioned to maintain a clear line of sight and be ready to stop the car via the app immediately.
"Zombie" Update Loop (Inoperable State),
Cause: In cold climates (like the late 2025 winter), some vehicles became "stuck" in a failed update loop where the car would not enter "Drive" or "Charge" mode because the software update was perpetually at 60–80%.
Solution: To prevent this, ensure your vehicle is plugged in and the battery is above 50% before starting any update. If stuck, a "Scroll Wheel Reset" or a remote "Update Push" from Tesla Support via the mobile app is necessary to break the cycle.
Labels List Only
Front Hood Latch Detection Failure (Recall),
"Swerve-Brake" Autopilot Logic,
Adaptive Headlight "Blind" Errors,
Smart Summon "Curb-Strike" Bug,
"Zombie" Update Loop (Inoperable State),
Would you like me to find the instructions for checking your current firmware version to see if the 2026 "Juniper" headlight fix is installed?
