Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

12V Battery Problem

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Last week I returned from a 3-day trip. My 2018 MS100D was plugged-in the entire time in my Garage. When I tried to leave for work, after my trip, my car was completely dead. I could not connect with my app, I could not remove the charging cable, no lights came on, handles would not extend, NOTHING. I called Tesla. The did a remote diagnosis and informed me that my car would have to go to the Service Center. They arranged for a tow truck. Tow driver worked for over an hour to get into the frunk to access the 12v battery. When he hooked up his booster, the car came alive. Everything seemed to be fine, so I tried to initiate a normal charge session. Everything looked normal, except there were NO miles being added to the range. It stayed on zero. So, he backed the car out of my Garage and drove it onto the tow truck bed (all while showing zero range). It cost me $570 for the tow to the Kennesaw Service Center. Tesla acknowledged receipt of my car. They charged me a $195 diagnostic fee. They say the problem is my 12v battery, which that same SC had installed 11 months ago! Now, they tell me it will be WEEKS before they will have a 12v battery for my car! So far, they are refusing to provide me with a loaner because my car is out of warranty. However, the 12v battery IS in warranty. I don't know what to do. I can't wait weeks for my car. Any suggestions???
 
Seems like the logical thing would have been to replace the 12V battery and see if that helped matters before towing car away.
Sometimes lead acid batteries fail for no reason. Getting a battery quickly is a pain thats why I got mine from LithiumMoto. Price was'nt bad either.
 
Seems like the logical thing would have been to replace the 12V battery and see if that helped matters before towing car away.
Sometimes lead acid batteries fail for no reason. Getting a battery quickly is a pain thats why I got mine from LithiumMoto. Price was'nt bad either.
I'm not competent to open the frunk when the car is dead. The tow driver took over an hour to get the frunk open. He went through the spokes of each of the front wheels to do it. My friend who drives a M3 said his 12-volt lithium-ion battery lasted only a year, and I've read other similar reports. Plus, Tesla won't install a Li-Ion 12v battery, at least for now.
 
I changed my 12v battery. It went dead for no reason or warning. Help desk said needed a super jump of 14 volts to bring my battery to life . Note not a regular home charger with 12,13 volts. It worked. I got big tow truck to jump battery.30 minutes car was alive. Cost $175 at SC. Took 2 hours. Been ok dive.
 
I changed my 12v battery. It went dead for no reason or warning. Help desk said needed a super jump of 14 volts to bring my battery to life . Note not a regular home charger with 12,13 volts. It worked. I got big tow truck to jump battery.30 minutes car was alive. Cost $175 at SC. Took 2 hours. Been ok dive.
The tow truck driver did use a high powered portable jumper and the car immediately came alive. At that point, I tried to charge the car. It would not charge. Perhaps we didn't give it long enough.
 
The tow truck driver did use a high powered portable jumper and the car immediately came alive. At that point, I tried to charge the car. It would not charge. Perhaps we didn't give it long enough.
A weak/failing 12v may be able to bring the computers and accessories back to life but not have enough current to close the high voltage contactors to connect the traction battery.
 
The tow truck driver did use a high powered portable jumper and the car immediately came alive. At that point, I tried to charge the car. It would not charge. Perhaps we didn't give it long enough.
What lights did you see on the car’s charging port? You should have seen a steady white before you plugged in, then a flashing blue after plugging in followed by a flashing green. Assuming you saw a flashing green what did the car display show? You should have seen a voltage and a the charging amperage which would be one number, a slash, and a second number. What were they?
 
I had the same issue today. My 1 year old Model S had the 12v battery die in a parking garage. In the last 6 months I've had the glove box motor replaced, temp sensor replaced, and 6 months of nothing after paying for a winter wheel/tire package they said was in stock. With over 100 grand spent on my Model S, I think I'm done with Tesla
 
What lights did you see on the car’s charging port? You should have seen a steady white before you plugged in, then a flashing blue after plugging in followed by a flashing green. Assuming you saw a flashing green what did the car display show? You should have seen a voltage and a the charging amperage which would be one number, a slash, and a second number. What were they?
I did not notice which lights came on when I plugged back in, but lights did come on, where they did not prior to the boost. The charging indicators in the drivers display appeared perfectly normal, except no miles were being added. I only observed that for a minute or so, before I gave up. Perhaps I should have waited longer before giving up.
 
I did not notice which lights came on when I plugged back in, but lights did come on, where they did not prior to the boost. The charging indicators in the drivers display appeared perfectly normal, except no miles were being added. I only observed that for a minute or so, before I gave up. Perhaps I should have waited longer before giving up.

The lights and display can be very telling. Depending on the charge rate, whcih the display will tell you, it can take a while before you see any miles added.

Hope everything works out for you!
 
I had the same issue today. My 1 year old Model S had the 12v battery die in a parking garage. In the last 6 months I've had the glove box motor replaced, temp sensor replaced, and 6 months of nothing after paying for a winter wheel/tire package they said was in stock. With over 100 grand spent on my Model S, I think I'm done with Tesla
I’ve had a great experience with my Tesla, up until this point. This is the first time I’ve actually considered switching back to ICE. Tesla has not handled this well IMHO. I messaged Elon on Twitter about my problem, but no reply. I guess he’s a little busy now. . .
 
Seems like the logical thing would have been to replace the 12V battery and see if that helped matters before towing car away.
Sometimes lead acid batteries fail for no reason. Getting a battery quickly is a pain thats why I got mine from LithiumMoto. Price was'nt bad either.
Any feedback on LithiumMoto would be appreciated. Seems like most folks are buying the Ohmmu batteries as replacements. Very few are getting LithiumMoto. Was the shipping time quick? Was the installation similar to the OEM? How is the performance so far? Any additional info on LithiumMoto would be great as I'm deciding between the two vendors.
 
LMoto is still testing their 3/Y batts looks like. The S and X models dont seems to be having any issues., Call them directly if you want. They answer the phone.
They offer a 60 day no questions asked money back guarantee. Sounds good to me. They make to order so, not always " on the shelf ready ". I guess that occurs when they are made in USA vs China. Hard to tell what battery people will want tomorrow.