Owners who draw mains power from their Tesla through an aftermarket adapter say the car's software has started cutting them off. In a Tesla Motors Club thread opened on 19 October 2026, a Model 3 owner warned anyone using a third-party vehicle-to-load (V2L) device not to install software update 2026.38.5.1. Since the update, the owner wrote, the adapter discharges for about three minutes before the car ends the session and logs a battery-management fault, BMS_a076_SW_Dch_While_Charging.
Not a Tesla App and Drive Tesla picked up the thread on 29 October. Tesla has not commented, and it is not clear whether the change is deliberate.
What owners report
| First report (Model 3) | Second report | |
|---|---|---|
| Device | Third-party V2L box | Elejoy adapter |
| Before the update | Used almost daily for 18 months at 3–5 kW | Working |
| After 2026.38.5.1 | Cuts out after about 3 minutes at 3 kW | Cuts out after 15–20 minutes, whatever the load |
| Fixes tried | Theater mode and Camp Mode tricks no longer help | Test firmware from Elejoy did not fix it |
The first owner's advice to anyone who relies on such a device is blunt: do not install 2026.38.5.1, and be wary of nearby versions too.
How these adapters work, and what may have changed
The devices plug into the car's CCS fast-charging inlet and open what the car treats as a DC charging session, then reverse the flow and draw power out of the battery. That is how they reach cars Tesla never sold V2L on, as old as a 2017 Model 3 with a CCS retrofit, according to the thread. Keeping a session alive already took a routine: air conditioning off, music paused, Theater mode open, the driver's door left ajar.
Forum members suspect the car now checks that energy is actually flowing into the battery during a DC session. An adapter that is taking energy out cannot fake that. This is the owners' theory, not a statement from Tesla.
Why it matters in Europe
In Europe this class of adapter matters more than in the US, because for most owners it is the only way to get mains power out of the car. The 2027-spec Model 3 that gained 2.2 kW V2L in China, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea shows no V2L in Spain's configurator. The WETOX D2 covered here in August also draws power through the DC pins, in a CCS2 version with 230-volt sockets.
Two things are not yet known. The reports so far come from a US forum, and no one has said whether the software European cars receive carries the same change. That software is a different build: on 29 October, TeslaFi's fleet log showed European cars updating to 2026.38.3.2, or to 2026.33.100 on cars with FSD, not to the 2026.38.5 builds named in the reports. Nor has anyone reported a D2 failing. Until either is clear, a European owner who depends on one of these adapters should check the forums before accepting the next update.
Tesla's direction of travel
In the US, Drive Tesla says Tesla's own Powershare V2L now covers every Model 3 and Model Y variant, and Tesla opened Powershare home backup to both cars in October. There is a precedent for a sanctioned replacement. After a 2024 update cut 12-volt and USB power in unoccupied cars, Tesla restored it in 2025 as Keep Accessory Power On, with a 20% battery floor, Drive Tesla notes. Whether third-party V2L gets a similar path, or simply stays broken, is Tesla's call.