Tesla's FSD v14 Lite Sparks Overheating Glitches on HW3 Computers

Growing numbers of Tesla drivers running the new Full Self-Driving v14 Lite package on older Hardware 3 vehicles are reporting autopilot computer overheating and subsequent system crashes, according to data compiled by Electrek. Reports have ticked upward in the two weeks following the wide commercial release of the software.

The Lite build is a stripped-down port of the newer HW4 v14 model, adapted to run on AI3 hardware featuring just 8 gigabytes of RAM and roughly one-eighth the memory bandwidth. Tesla kept those vehicles on version 12.6 for over a year before rolling out the update via software version 2026.20.6.11 on July 21.

Service-mode screenshots shared online show autopilot ECU boards triggering the APP_w141_ECU_Thermal_Issue error code, which activates when board temperatures exceed 90°C. Several owners noted spikes up to 96°C. While driving, the vehicle displays a red hands warning icon, forcibly shutting down FSD and disabling self-driving functions until the computer cools down.

Severe cases involve complete computer failures requiring hardware replacements. Tesla previously committed to replacing HW3 computers across approximately 4 million vehicles or compensating owners after acknowledging the hardware cannot deliver on promised autonomous capabilities, though a concrete rollout plan remains absent as reported by Habr.

Thermal error APP_w141 is not entirely new and has historically been linked to cooling loop issues like low coolant or blocked radiators. However, failures are heavily concentrated around v14 Lite installations, pointing to a demanding AI model pushing constrained memory and thermal limits. Drivers also report phantom braking and jerky slowdowns.

Source: habr