2 week old 2021 Model Y - SHUT DOWN while driving

[KlaBenNH]

I literally just had this happened to me 3 hours ago on my less-than-2-week-old 2022 Model Y with 199 total miles. It’s freaking scary because as the other owner mentioned, you have so little time to pull the car to the side before it becomes completely unresponsive. To make things worse, today is a Friday, by the time the car got loaded onto a tow truck, Tesla Service Centers were closed and won’t open until Monday. This is frustrating. I am the fourth person on this thread having this terrible experience. This is way too frequent. I was lucky to avoid any accidents but if Tesla doesn’t resolve this problem soon, someone will get hurt eventually because of it. Ugh…

Same thing happened to me last week! My wife and I were driving south on Interstate-93 in NH on Superbowl Sunday. Traffic was heavy and we were traveling about 70 mph when our 2021 Model Y Tesla started beeping and the following message came on the screen - “PULL OVER SAFELY, Vehicle shutting down”. My wife was driving and had just enough time to cross over three lanes to get into the breakdown lane before the car came to a sudden stop. The screen was on with red flashing no power/steering/braking warnings. The car did not want to restart. We called the Tesla service center and they were about to order a tow truck but we asked if there was a ‘ctrl/alt/del’ type option. She had us select Safety>Power Off. When our Tesla came back on everything was seemingly normal so the service center said ‘this is very rare’ and that it should be okay to drive. We drove another few miles down 93 and luckily took an early exit ramp because the car shut down again at the bottom of the ramp. My wife and I restarted the car again and managed to limp home in some sort of “Power reduced” mode (i.e. painfully little acceleration).

Tesla sent a tow truck to pick up the car the next day and reserved a rental car for us at a local Enterprise. It has almost been a week but we haven’t heard back from them yet. I don’t have any complaints about the service, I actually thought they were quite responsive, however the experience has shaken out confidence in the reliability and safety of the Model Y. I will update this post when the failure is resolved.

 

[TomServo]

UPDATE ON THE CAR:
Two months and some change after accepting delivery on my dream car, Tesla did a buy back and I am now renting a car until I figure out my next move. Basically, after the first shut down, the 12-day old car spent 2 weeks in the shop and received a new rear motor and a new 12V battery. I was told that the issue was resolved and that I "shouldn't have any more issues" with my vehicle. The day after it came back to me, my husband heard noises in the garage...it was a clicking sound followed by a loud thump a few seconds later. Each sound occurred once every 1-2 minutes - non-stop. The noises persisted for 1 week. The car then went back to service and spent almost 2 more weeks being repaired. The log showed the contactors repeatedly cycling on and off while the vehicle is idle. The "computer was causing the car to wake up and cycle the contactors repeatedly". The techs did a series of repairs including replacing the chargeport door, replacing chargeport ECU and updating filmware, replacing the 12V battery again, and replacing the USB cable / storage device in the glovebox. The issue was that "a bad USB cable from the glovebox to the car computer was falsely causing a bug". After this, Tesla agreed to a buy back.

Since you no longer own this vehicle I hopped you would have shared the VIN which might possibly help some poor unsuspecting soul from buying it IF/WHEN it comes on the market.

 

[PB FUTED]

All, same thing happened to my Husband and me. We were driving my 9 month old MYLR last Saturday on a busy freeway about 80 mph. Then out of the blue the car stared to lose power and a warning message popped up telling me to pull over as quickly and safely as possible. We also tried several different ways of resetting the car by getting out and re-entering or reset using the rollers. Nothing worked. Road side service was courteous and arranged pickup while we had a family member pick us up off of a busy freeway. When I got home, I check all the notifications and one said 12v battery needs to be replaced. What?!?! In a way I’m glad it happened under warranty so it should not cost me any money, but I’m concerned did I get a lemon?

 

[nate704]

All, same thing happened to my Husband and me. We were driving my 9 month old MYLR last Saturday on a busy freeway about 80 mph. Then out of the blue the car stared to lose power and a warning message popped up telling me to pull over as quickly and safely as possible. We also tried several different ways of resetting the car by getting out and re-entering or reset using the rollers. Nothing worked. Road side service was courteous and arranged pickup while we had a family member pick us up off of a busy freeway. When I got home, I check all the notifications and one said 12v battery needs to be replaced. What?!?! In a way I’m glad it happened under warranty so it should not cost me any money, but I’m concerned did I get a lemon?

Not even close to a lemon. It was just 12v battery which happen s to all cars from all manufacturers.

 

[glide]

Not even close to a lemon. It was just 12v battery which happen s to all cars from all manufacturers.

Yeah…no.

Other manufacturers cars don’t “shut down” on the highway when the 12V dies.

 

[jsight]

Yeah…no.

Other manufacturers cars don’t “shut down” on the highway when the 12V dies.

Agreed, although an alternator failure can cause them to go into limp mode, which is nearly the same thing. I've had some cars where those failures were fairly common.

 

[nate704]

Yeah…no.

Other manufacturers cars don’t “shut down” on the highway when the 12V dies.

You wouldn't even be on the highway if lCE car 12V dies because you can't start the car. If you are driving and 12v battery is dead meaning it is not charging, it is the dead alternator, so you car will die on the highway anyway.
No electricity = no ignition no fuel injection.

 

[glide]

You wouldn't even be on the highway if lCE car 12V dies because you can't start the car. If you are driving and 12v battery is dead meaning it is not charging, it is the dead alternator, so you car will die on the highway anyway.
No electricity = no ignition no fuel injection.

Yeah. That’s the point. The ICE vehicle wouldn’t put you in this type of dangerous situation.

 

[PB FUTED]

UPDATE ON THE CAR:
Two months and some change after accepting delivery on my dream car, Tesla did a buy back and I am now renting a car until I figure out my next move. Basically, after the first shut down, the 12-day old car spent 2 weeks in the shop and received a new rear motor and a new 12V battery. I was told that the issue was resolved and that I "shouldn't have any more issues" with my vehicle. The day after it came back to me, my husband heard noises in the garage...it was a clicking sound followed by a loud thump a few seconds later. Each sound occurred once every 1-2 minutes - non-stop. The noises persisted for 1 week. The car then went back to service and spent almost 2 more weeks being repaired. The log showed the contactors repeatedly cycling on and off while the vehicle is idle. The "computer was causing the car to wake up and cycle the contactors repeatedly". The techs did a series of repairs including replacing the chargeport door, replacing chargeport ECU and updating filmware, replacing the 12V battery again, and replacing the USB cable / storage device in the glovebox. The issue was that "a bad USB cable from the glovebox to the car computer was falsely causing a bug". After this, Tesla agreed to a buy back.

Just read Ana’s 6/8 post. She mentioned a bad USB connection. So I’ve expericing problem with Sentry mode since 5/22. i couldn’t access it with having to reformat or open the glove box and take it out and reinsert it. Several old dash cam files I deleted keeps resurfacing. it Is too much of a coincidence that Ana’s repaired mentioned a bad USB cable could be the cause of her car failing. Then again….it’s really scary to think someth so insignificant as an USB drive could cause a catastrophic shut down of a vehicle. .
my Y is still at the service station with an ETA of 6/27. Tesla is giving me $100 Uber voucher per day for my troubles. Stay tuned

 

[PB FUTED]

Same thing happened to me last week! My wife and I were driving south on Interstate-93 in NH on Superbowl Sunday. Traffic was heavy and we were traveling about 70 mph when our 2021 Model Y Tesla started beeping and the following message came on the screen - “PULL OVER SAFELY, Vehicle shutting down”. My wife was driving and had just enough time to cross over three lanes to get into the breakdown lane before the car came to a sudden stop. The screen was on with red flashing no power/steering/braking warnings. The car did not want to restart. We called the Tesla service center and they were about to order a tow truck but we asked if there was a ‘ctrl/alt/del’ type option. She had us select Safety>Power Off. When our Tesla came back on everything was seemingly normal so the service center said ‘this is very rare’ and that it should be okay to drive. We drove another few miles down 93 and luckily took an early exit ramp because the car shut down again at the bottom of the ramp. My wife and I restarted the car again and managed to limp home in some sort of “Power reduced” mode (i.e. painfully little acceleration).

Tesla sent a tow truck to pick up the car the next day and reserved a rental car for us at a local Enterprise. It has almost been a week but we haven’t heard back from them yet. I don’t have any complaints about the service, I actually thought they were quite responsive, however the experience has shaken out confidence in the reliability and safety of the Model Y. I will update this post when the failure is resolved.

Hi there, how was your issue resolved? What was the cause?
im curious as I had the same issue on 6/18. In reading Ana’s post I think it’s related to a bad USB cable. My Y is at the service station now. I’m wondering how is your car driving since repairs?

 

[PB FUTED]

Yeah…no.

Other manufacturers cars don’t “shut down” on the highway when the 12V dies.

Not even close to a lemon. It was just 12v battery which happen s to all cars from all manufacturers.

Ok thanks for the assurance that I didn’t buy a lemon. Still I find it hard to believe a 12v battery or even a USB would cause an entire automobile to shut down.

 

[PB FUTED]

I had this very same issue yesterday while driving on the Freeway in Miami. I barely had time to get over to the shoulder. More importantly, I lost braking control. My Tesla Y is two months old. The worse part is when I was towed to the Tesla dealership in Coral Gables, the Service Advisor said that they are not really a car company but a computer company and these things will happen. Now I don't have a loaner, Tesla does not rent cars and I am told that my car would probable be ready on 2/22 (Almost 6 days from the incident). I like Tesla but I must say that I find their Customer Service unacceptable for such a big, technology company.
Hasib M

Hi there, same thing happened to me on 6/18. Just wondering if they told you what caused the shut down and how is your car driving now?

 

[Rice&Curry]

As far as my understanding goes, if the car us running the dead 12V battery will not stop a moving car. The main motors are powered by the high voltage DC current from the main battery pack. However if the 12V battery is indeed dead and you stop and lock the car the doors will not open unless you access and open the frunk and access the 12V battery and jump start the 12V to open the door.

 

[dfresh3033]

WARNING TO DRIVERS: Last night I was driving on a local street when suddenly a warning came up on the screen saying "VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN - pull over safely". While I was TRYING to pull over safely, the car just shook and stopped. I had less than 5 seconds to react and was still partially in the traffic lane. I couldn't even put the car in neutral to push it to a safe spot. Luckily this did not happen on the freeway or I for sure would have been stalled in the middle of whatever lane and more than likely been hit.

I put my hazards on and my husband looked up what could be the issue. He read that it could help to get out, walk away from the car and return. I tried this twice and it didn't work so I contacted "Roadside Assistance" on my app. Another alarming thing was that among options like "flat tire", there was an option to push "Car shut down while driving". What?! I haven't even had the car for 2 weeks and it just shuts down without any warning??? It took 10 minutes for a random number to text me and ask about the issue. I was prompted to troubleshoot, which did not work. I tried it 3 times. Finally, a tow truck arrived 1 hour later. When I asked if it could be quicker because I was in a lane of traffic, I was told that if I felt unsafe to call 911 and nothing else could be done by Tesla. All through random text.

I have had no leaks, and no service warnings. Nothing. This can't be normal and now I feel completely unsafe. What if it happens again on the freeway? I'm scared for my life in this car. To make matters worse, the service center is closed today and the dealership was less than helpful. I need to get to work this week and they told me that they could either reimburse me for Uber rides or "try" to give me a loaner fleet vehicle for 24 hours. That doesn't do me any good.

I'm in complete disbelief at the entire situation. It's absurd and the car I received is clearly defective and doesn't meet minimum safety standards in this condition. They are luck no one has died as a result of this. I feel helpless and so disappointed.

I wouldn't want to drive it either. That's horrible and Tesla service is the worst. The insensitivity by some of the other people on this thread is crazy. It has to be a lemon.

 

[avs007]

As far as my understanding goes, if the car us running the dead 12V battery will not stop a moving car. The main motors are powered by the high voltage DC current from the main battery pack. However if the 12V battery is indeed dead and you stop and lock the car the doors will not open unless you access and open the frunk and access the 12V battery and jump start the 12V to open the door.

Exactly. Normally, when the HV system is active, even if the 12v system is dead, the DC-DC convertor will power the 12v system from the HV system. It's when the HV system powers down, that a low/dead 12v system screws you, cus the HV cannot be turned on without a functioning 12v system.

If the HV system was shutting down in the highway, I don't think that has anything to do with the 12v system, that was probably a coincidence. You probably had a fault in the HV system somewhere.

 

[Tha_Ape]

A very quick Google search and I found this:

Cylinder 6 Misfire

Was taking the JT to pick up a couple of pieces of furniture about 2 hours away from me. I got 15 miles down the road and noticed some sluggishness in 5th at 60mph so I downshifted to 4th thinking no big deal, fairly normal to have to do up an incline. Then I noticed a bit of roughness so my...

www.jeepgladiatorforum.com

(Less than a month ago)

I'm not saying it's acceptable, I'm just saying this stuff happens. I'm sure if I spent 5 more min I could find more examples

 

[DanDi58]

As far as my understanding goes, if the car us running the dead 12V battery will not stop a moving car. The main motors are powered by the high voltage DC current from the main battery pack. However if the 12V battery is indeed dead and you stop and lock the car the doors will not open unless you access and open the frunk and access the 12V battery and jump start the 12V to open the door.

I'm confused about this as well.

As far as the USB cable issue, I suppose there could have been a short or something that caused the car to not be able to go to sleep fully. I went back and re-read the post about that and it sounds like the car would briefly go to sleep then wake up almost immediately. That could account for the noises.

 

[nate704]

I wouldn't want to drive it either. That's horrible and Tesla service is the worst. The insensitivity by some of the other people on this thread is crazy. It has to be a lemon.

All I can say is “wow”

 

[chyuan]

Ok thanks for the assurance that I didn’t buy a lemon. Still I find it hard to believe a 12v battery or even a USB would cause an entire automobile to shut down.

I would expect the 12v battery to last 3+ years and definitely shouldn't die 9m into ownership.

Did you receive the notification about replacing 12v battery before or after the incident? I believe this was a big deal that Tesla (kinda) addressed via software update a year or two ago by sending notification about a 12v battery needing service. But if it doesn't tell you until either after it already died, or too close to being dead it's meaningless.

 

[PB FUTED]

I would expect the 12v battery to last 3+ years and definitely shouldn't die 9m into ownership.

Did you receive the notification about replacing 12v battery before or after the incident? I believe this was a big deal that Tesla (kinda) addressed via software update a year or two ago by sending notification about a 12v battery needing service. But if it doesn't tell you until either after it already died, or too close to being dead it's meaningless.

It was after the car died. There were 3 notifications on my app.