TL;DR
- If the Model Y touchscreen freezes, shift into Park and hold both steering wheel scroll buttons until the screen goes black. Wait about 30 seconds. This restarts only the screen.
- If that does not help, power cycle the car: Controls, Safety, Power Off, then wait at least two minutes without touching anything, and wake it with the brake pedal or a door.
- If the car has no power at all, Tesla's next step is an external low voltage supply such as a portable jump starter. Your Model Y cannot jump another vehicle.
- Still stuck? Book a service visit in the Tesla app and include photos, videos, the time and what the car was doing. Tesla asks for those details.
What do you do when your Tesla touchscreen freezes, shows a strange alert, or the car will not wake up? Tesla publishes a short ladder of fixes, and each rung is safe to try before you book service. This guide follows Tesla's do-it-yourself pages for the Model Y, checked on November 5, 2026. Tesla publishes a page for each model, so look up yours if you drive something else.
How do you restart a frozen Tesla touchscreen?
Tesla's page on restarting the touchscreen says you can do this when the screen is unresponsive or acting strangely. The steps are:
- Stop the car and shift into Park.
- Hold down both scroll buttons on the steering wheel until the touchscreen turns black.
- Wait about 30 seconds for the screen to restart.
Tesla gives a clear warning. Only restart the screen while the car is stopped and in Park, because the car status display, safety warnings and the backup camera will not be visible during the restart. Tesla also notes that pressing the scroll buttons restarts only the touchscreen. It does not restart any other part of the car and does not turn the Model Y off and on. Tesla's page shows a different picture for cars built before and after about February 2025, so look at the diagram that matches your car.
If the screen is still unresponsive or acting oddly after a few minutes, Tesla says to try power cycling the car.
How do you power cycle a Tesla?
Tesla's power cycling page says to use it when the car shows unusual behavior or a vague alert, and to try the screen restart first. The steps are:
- Shift into Park.
- On the touchscreen, touch Controls, then Safety, then Power Off.
- Wait at least two minutes without interacting with the car. Do not open the doors, touch the brake pedal or touch the screen.
- After two minutes, press the brake pedal or open a door to wake the car.
The two-minute wait is the part people skip. Tesla specifically lists the doors, the brake pedal and the touchscreen as things not to touch during it.
Which fix should you try first?
| Fix | What it does | Time | Try it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restart the touchscreen | Restarts only the screen | About 30 seconds | The screen is frozen or glitchy and the car is in Park |
| Power cycle the car | Powers the car off and on | At least 2 minutes | The screen restart did not help, or you see an unusual behavior or vague alert |
| External low voltage power | Gives the car outside low voltage power to wake it | Several minutes for the screen to wake | The car has no low voltage power |
| Service visit | Tesla looks at the car | Book in the Tesla app | Nothing above fixes it |
The first two rows come from the Tesla pages linked above. The third comes from Tesla's jump starting page.
What if the car has no power at all?
A dead touchscreen can also mean the small battery that Tesla calls the low voltage battery is out of power. Many owners call it the 12 volt battery. It is separate from the big battery that moves the car, which we cover in what happens if your Tesla runs out of charge.
Tesla's jump starting page says the method depends on the type of low voltage battery. To find yours, touch Controls, then Software, then Additional Vehicle Information. Tesla says Model Ys built in Fremont after about December 2021, and in Shanghai after about October 2021, have a lithium-ion low voltage battery. Earlier cars have lead-acid. For this page Tesla assumes you are using an external power supply such as a portable jump starter. It gives two cautions:
- A Model Y cannot be used to jump start another vehicle. Tesla says doing so can damage it.
- Avoid short circuits. Connecting a cable to the wrong post or letting the leads touch can damage the car.
For the lithium-ion battery, Tesla's steps are in short: open the hood, remove the maintenance panel, connect the red positive cable to the red positive jump post under the black seal, and connect the black negative cable to the HEPA filter bolt, which serves as the negative post. On cars built after about February 2025 the negative post may be hidden under the black trim at the top of the front trunk. Turn on the power supply, touch the screen to wake the car (Tesla says this can take several minutes), and when you finish, take off the black negative cable first. Read the full steps and photos on Tesla's page before you connect anything.
If you cannot open the front trunk without power, Tesla's page on opening the hood with no power describes pulling out the two wires behind the tow eye cover and touching an external supply to them. Tesla says this only releases the hood latches, it does not charge the battery, and the cables should come off within 30 seconds. If you are shopping for a starter, see do you need a jump starter for your Tesla.
How do you book service so the visit goes well?
Tesla's maintenance page says to schedule service in the mobile app by touching Service and choosing the type of service. It asks you to give as much detail as you can, such as:
- Photos, sound recordings or videos of the problem.
- The date, time and time zone it happened.
- Your location and the country of use.
- The weather, such as rain, snow or cold.
- Any vehicle settings that apply and the symptoms you noticed.
Our guide to how Tesla decides between mobile service and a shop visit explains what happens next.
What to do
- Park the car and restart the touchscreen with the two scroll buttons.
- If the problem stays, power cycle the car and leave it alone for a full two minutes.
- Check which low voltage battery your car has under Controls, Software, Additional Vehicle Information, so you know the jump starting steps that apply.
- Keep software current. Our guide to updating your Tesla software shows how to set it up on Wi-Fi.
- If nothing works, book service in the Tesla app with photos, videos and times. You can see your model's details on our Model Y page.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to restart the touchscreen while driving?
No. Tesla says to restart it only while the car is stopped and in Park, because safety warnings, the status display and the backup camera are not visible during the restart.
Does restarting the screen turn the car off?
No. Tesla says the scroll button restart affects only the touchscreen. Powering the car off is a separate step under Controls, Safety, Power Off.
How long should I wait when I power cycle my Tesla?
At least two minutes, with no doors opened, no brake pedal presses and no screen touches, according to Tesla.
Can I jump start another car with my Model Y?
No. Tesla says a Model Y cannot be used to jump start another vehicle and that doing so can result in damage.
