12 Volt battery died yesterday

[M109Rider]

Do you work for an auto company? Its thinking like this that caused Weinstein to get away with the things he did. No hard data. Bumpers falling off cars is just a few so there is no hard evidence that its a problem right? Seriously? There is plenty of threads all over the internet and its not just model 3, its all the models and its been going on for years.

You’re comparing a 12v battery failure to Weinstein, and other unrelated problems. !
That’s big drama, and the sky is falling stuff right there.
How did you ever handle the regular dealership over priced repair rip offs with combustion engine cars ? I’m sure you haven’t had any right
12volt batteries issues are a EV problem. These problems do happen with all new tech. They will get worked out.
Question is, will you survive this experience.
I realize misery loves company, and this is a family crisis for you, but if you just get another battery, relax and let this crisis go, hopefully within the next two years, Tesla has sorted out any issues.
I know that’s a crazy approach, but give it a try.

 

[robl45]

You’re comparing a 12v battery failure to Weinstein, and other unrelated problems. !
That’s big drama, and the sky is falling stuff right there.
How did you ever handle the regular dealership over priced repair rip offs with combustion engine cars ? I’m sure you haven’t had any right
12volt batteries issues are a EV problem. These problems do happen with all new tech. They will get worked out.
Question is, will you survive this experience.
I realize misery loves company, and this is a family crisis for you, but if you just get another battery, relax and let this crisis go, hopefully within the next two years, Tesla has sorted out any issues.
I know that’s a crazy approach, but give it a try.

No I said ignoring everything and saying its no big deal is how we get to the issues I mentioned. A bumper falling off can be fixed, but its a big deal and ignoring it doesn't fix the issue. The battery issue has been going on for multiple years, lets not pretend it just happened now. Yes I have had issues with other cars, but not crazy stuff like this, not things that are happening and no one is doing anything, further as I mentioned, its the insanity of how it has to be done, towing the car somewhere, waiting multiple days for someone to come to you, that is upsetting me more than anything else. Roadside should come out and change a battery. I've loved cars my whole live, but at a certain point, a car is a car and I'm not a fanboy. My 2004 prius don't have these issues, 16 years old and less issues than the Tesla. My corvette has some major issues, 6 to 7 years in, not 15 months.

 

[iwannam3]

I was greatly concerned with our 12v battery failure. They towed it, replaced it, and had it back by noon the next day.

Now I’m not afraid of it. It jumped easy with the lithium pack. It’s in an easy location. I’ll probably pickup a new battery from Tesla around 18 months in.

I do think they might have a charging problem, cooking the battery around updates. Have a battery monitor on it so I’ll know next time.

I think they were trying to get more aggressive about identifying battery failure, but the ended up detecting the ohmu battery falsely due to its different charge profile. So back to the drawing board.

Batteries that smell of sulfur are shorted internally and should not be jumped.

 

[M109Rider]

No I said ignoring everything and saying its no big deal is how we get to the issues I mentioned. A bumper falling off can be fixed, but its a big deal and ignoring it doesn't fix the issue. The battery issue has been going on for multiple years, lets not pretend it just happened now. Yes I have had issues with other cars, but not crazy stuff like this, not things that are happening and no one is doing anything, further as I mentioned, its the insanity of how it has to be done, towing the car somewhere, waiting multiple days for someone to come to you, that is upsetting me more than anything else. Roadside should come out and change a battery. I've loved cars my whole live, but at a certain point, a car is a car and I'm not a fanboy. My 2004 prius don't have these issues, 16 years old and less issues than the Tesla. My corvette has some major issues, 6 to 7 years in, not 15 months.

And it keeps going.
Have you had it fixed yet. ?
Once it’s fixed, will this drama be over. ?

 

[robl45]

it was fixed Saturday, you don't have to be on the thread if its a problem for you.

 

[EnrgyNDpndnce]

No I said ignoring everything and saying its no big deal is how we get to the issues I mentioned. A bumper falling off can be fixed, but its a big deal and ignoring it doesn't fix the issue. The battery issue has been going on for multiple years, lets not pretend it just happened now. Yes I have had issues with other cars, but not crazy stuff like this, not things that are happening and no one is doing anything, further as I mentioned, its the insanity of how it has to be done, towing the car somewhere, waiting multiple days for someone to come to you, that is upsetting me more than anything else. Roadside should come out and change a battery. I've loved cars my whole live, but at a certain point, a car is a car and I'm not a fanboy. My 2004 prius don't have these issues, 16 years old and less issues than the Tesla. My corvette has some major issues, 6 to 7 years in, not 15 months.

I don’t think anyone is ignoring this or saying it’s no big deal. But it isn’t an end of life event like some are making it out to be. And you are exaggerating the issue greatly by suggesting it takes multiple days to fix and the car has to be towed just because the battery dies. That’s just nonsense. As I stated, I replaced mine in about an hour by driving to an auto parts store and buying another 12V off the shelf. Easy cheesy lemon squeezy. No drama necessary. IT’S NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER CAR.

And again, you can list all of the anecdotal evidence you want but that doesn’t mean there’s a statistically relevant problem. All cars have a certain amount of parts that fail prematurely, that’s why there’s a warranty period. The question here is whether the 12V in the Model 3 is experiencing a level of premature failure that is significantly higher than most other cars. Only real hard data will answer that question, and I’d love to see the data.

And no I don’t work in the automotive industry, not sure where you’d get that idea. I’m in sales in the building materials industry. Everyone I work with drives a full sized pickup, except me. Makes me soooo popular.

 

[M109Rider]

it was fixed Saturday, you don't have to be on the thread if its a problem for you.

I’m hoping the drama will slowly diminish now that it’s fixed.

 

[robl45]

Yes it does take days apprently. The options were to tow me on, have mobile service come 3 days later or drive in as emergency service the next day. Do you not get that they could tow the car but not swap the battery? Maybe you want to pay out of pocket for a battery. I got a warranty for a reason

I don’t think anyone is ignoring this or saying it’s no big deal. But it isn’t an end of life event like some are making it out to be. And you are exaggerating the issue greatly by suggesting it takes multiple days to fix and the car has to be towed just because the battery dies. That’s just nonsense. As I stated, I replaced mine in about an hour by driving to an auto parts store and buying another 12V off the shelf. Easy cheesy lemon squeezy. No drama necessary. IT’S NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER CAR.

And again, you can list all of the anecdotal evidence you want but that doesn’t mean there’s a statistically relevant problem. All cars have a certain amount of parts that fail prematurely, that’s why there’s a warranty period. The question here is whether the 12V in the Model 3 is experiencing a level of premature failure that is significantly higher than most other cars. Only real hard data will answer that question, and I’d love to see the data.

And no I don’t work in the automotive industry, not sure where you’d get that idea. I’m in sales in the building materials industry. Everyone I work with drives a full sized pickup, except me. Makes me soooo popular.

 

[EnrgyNDpndnce]

Yes it does take days apprently. The options were to tow me on, have mobile service come 3 days later or drive in as emergency service the next day. Do you not get that they could tow the car but not swap the battery? Maybe you want to pay out of pocket for a battery. I got a warranty for a reason

Life is about choices. If I were in your situation I would have told Tesla I can’t be without a car for several days so I am going to buy a battery aftermarket and install it myself, and I expect Tesla to reimburse me the cost of that battery. Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn’t. But again, you had an option. And I seriously doubt this would be any different if your (fill in the blank ICE brand car) had a premature battery failure. You’d likely be faced with the same set of choices. I guess the big difference is most other car brands don’t have nearly as many people posting to the internet about every little thing that goes wrong with the car.

 

[robl45]

With an ice car you charge the battery and go about your day.

Life is about choices. If I were in your situation I would have told Tesla I can’t be without a car for several days so I am going to buy a battery aftermarket and install it myself, and I expect Tesla to reimburse me the cost of that battery. Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn’t. But again, you had an option. And I seriously doubt this would be any different if your (fill in the blank ICE brand car) had a premature battery failure. You’d likely be faced with the same set of choices. I guess the big difference is most other car brands don’t have nearly as many people posting to the internet about every little thing that goes wrong with the car.

 

[EnrgyNDpndnce]

With an ice car you charge the battery and go about your day.

And as others have said, you can use a portable charger to charge a dead 12V in a Tesla as well. Unless of course it’s cooked in which case that would be dangerous. And again, that’s exactly the same in an ICE car. Sometimes batteries get cooked and you would never try to recharge them because it would be dangerous.

Every example you throw out trying to suggest that your situation is somehow different and more unpleasant than a dead 12V in an ICE car can be refuted. Because quite simply, it’s no different. It’s inconvenient, yes. But then again having a battery die in any car is pretty inconvenient. Those of us with enough life experience and perspective know that you just solve the problem and move on. Perhaps one day you’ll look back on this experience and realize it wasn’t as big a deal as you initially thought.

 

[robl45]

It is quite different but clearly as a Tesla fan you cannot see that.

And as others have said, you can use a portable charger to charge a dead 12V in a Tesla as well. Unless of course it’s cooked in which case that would be dangerous. And again, that’s exactly the same in an ICE car. Sometimes batteries get cooked and you would never try to recharge them because it would be dangerous.

Every example you throw out trying to suggest that your situation is somehow different and more unpleasant than a dead 12V in an ICE car can be refuted. Because quite simply, it’s no different. It’s inconvenient, yes. But then again having a battery die in any car is pretty inconvenient. Those of us with enough life experience and perspective know that you just solve the problem and move on. Perhaps one day you’ll look back on this experience and realize it wasn’t as big a deal as you initially thought.

 

[EnrgyNDpndnce]

It is quite different but clearly as a Tesla fan you cannot see that.

Please, educate me. How exactly is it different? And btw I am happy to criticize Tesla when they deserve it, such as for their subpar customer service. I like to take an objective, non-emotional approach to these things when possible. And in my opinion, objectively, there is really no difference between a Tesla and any ICE car when it comes to the 12V failing. Both can be safely recharged as long as the battery hasn’t been cooked. Both can be easily swapped by the car owner in an hour or so. And in both cases the car is rendered useless until the battery is recharged or replaced. So again please, tell me how they are different.

 

[GPinzone]

Life is about choices. If I were in your situation I would have told Tesla I can’t be without a car for several days so I am going to buy a battery aftermarket and install it myself, and I expect Tesla to reimburse me the cost of that battery

Where would you get the aftermarket replacement battery?

 

[Margaritaboy]

I just walked into Napa auto parts and got one off the shelf there. Took about three minutes.

To swap out the battery yourself, you definitely do not need to disconnect the high voltage battery pack. The 12 V battery in the Tesla is no different than the 12 V system in any other ICE car. You need a 10 mm socket and about 10 minutes to do it.

To all the people crying about dead batteries: invest $10 in socket set, or a AAA membership. Seriously.

 

[brkaus]

Please, educate me. How exactly is it different?

just guessing here -

I think it’s perceived to be different because in many cases an ICE car (esp an older one) doesn’t typically have a failed battery, it has a low battery. Usually from leaving the lights on, dome light, radio, door ajar, etc. Quick jump start and it’s good as new.

you know, those announcements you occasionally hear over the PA. Would the driver of the blue bla bla bla like to turn their lights off.

Then, every 2-5 years a battery totally fails, won’t start the car, and needs to be replaced. So, maybe 1 out of 4 dead batteries results in a bigger problem.

In the case of an EV, those “stupid moves” are eliminated because the main battery takes over. So we just see those truly dead batteries.

 

[Stanwood Steve]

With 44,000 miles on my Model 3P (delivery was early August 2018), I figured I'd just replace my OEM battery with an Ohmmu. I ordered the battery, and had it in my hands within five days. I replaced it yesterday simply as a preventive measure. I know the car is still under warranty, but didn't want to get stuck somewhere with a dead battery so I spent the money now. Installation instructions were pretty clear and easy to perform. Maybe took 45 minutes or so, and that was taking my time.

 

[Candleflame]

it is a big design flaw not to use the HV battery as a backup or offer more warning. Hopefully, a future OTA upgrade can fix to at least display 12V health. Also, buy a voltmeter to self-monitor.

The HV battery disconnects from the car when it sleeps both for safety as well as for battery management.

 

[Gasaraki]

Am I understanding this correctly? I can expect my TM3’s 12 volt battery to need replacement every 24 months?

During 10 years’ of ownership, I replaced the 12 volt in my 2004 Prius once, and that was only because the dealership said it was “overdue”.

I had a 2003 Mazda B4000 until 2011 and replaced the battery once.

I have a 2009 B4000 with the original battery and a 2014 Prius v with the original battery.

I think it depends on where you live. Cars in hot locations tend to have their batteries die faster than cooler areas.

 

[Gasaraki]

Even my wife knows number 2 is nonsense. Batteries don't go that quick nor prevent functions from working. Was hoping to get her a Tesla, looks like that not happening.

When my 12V died while I was driving, my WRX was stuck on the side of the road. Fuel pump didn't work, no power steering, etc...