Service Engineering Intern – Vehicle Diagnostics

Job Description

Internship, Product Support Engineer, Service Engineering (Summer 2026) | Tesla

The Tone:
This is an internship at Tesla, located in Palo Alto, CA. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles, battery energy storage from home to grid-scale, solar panels and related products and services. This role is crucial for ensuring the reliability and quality of Tesla’s products by providing real-time diagnostic support to the service network and driving continuous improvements based on feedback from the field. This position supports existing and future Tesla products.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Full-time, Onsite, Temporary
• Location: In-person, Palo Alto, CA
• Pay: $34.08–$47.71 hourly
• Team: Service Engineering, part of Vehicle Software Engineering
• Mission: Understand and resolve complex vehicle issues, drive product enhancements, and support global service operations.
• Tech Stack: Python, JavaScript, C/C++, CAN bus

What You’ll Actually Do
• Analyze: Determine the root cause of issues affecting thousands of cars worldwide by analyzing logs, repair data, and returned failed parts.
• Collaborate: Drive product improvement projects by collaborating with development and quality teams across the organization.
• Test: Test development software or mechanical changes on engineering cars to validate their effectiveness and impact.
• Support: Provide support for escalations from field technical teams to help diagnose and resolve specific and difficult issues.
• Document: Assist with documentation in the diagnostic knowledge base by updating service manual repairs or service bulletins with new procedures.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Currently pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Embedded Systems, Automotive Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering or a related field, with a graduation date between August 2026 and December 2027.
• Experience: Strong understanding of electro-mechanical systems such as sensors, actuators, and communication networks (like CAN bus).
• Skills: Proficient in Python, with an analytical mindset and problem-solving orientation.
• Bonus: Hands-on experience with vehicle chassis systems, prior experience in Formula SAE, or experience working on personal cars; ability to read or interpret JavaScript and C/C++.