2 week old 2021 Model Y - SHUT DOWN while driving

[dmurphy]

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.

Terribly sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately defects DO happen. It sounds like they did right by buying back the car.

Thisnis exceptionally rare, so if you’re willing to take another run at it, I’m sure the next Model Y won’t have that issue! Almost sounds to me like they pinched a wire harness in assembly or something. Such a shame!

Best of luck and keep us posted what direction you choose.

 

[ArtK]

I am glad this issue was resolved, and that you are okay. In the end, the car was a disaster, but you were kind (and brave) to share your story in this forum, where responses can vary from supportive to hostile and antagonistic. Thank you, Ana, for sharing and for keeping us updated.

 

[JulesVerne]

Don't expect great customer service from the service center. The lack of talking with a live person seems to be very common with Tesla. Some of us can deal with the incompetence, whole others can not. These forums will help everyone become more informed. It all comes down to personal choice.

I think it will annoy me, but I'm willing to handle it, to get my Y. I have a good reliable, well-priced Mobile phone service for each of my families phones, and the only customer service, is through their web forum. I HATE THAT. Can't talk to a person.
Something I guess I'll have to get used to with Tesla!!!

 

[GeekyDoc]

I don't agree with this. Austin, TX production will have (normal!) start-up issues, and the "newer battery", whenever it becomes available, will also have start-up issues. That is the reality of manufacturing with new equipment, new employees, new design, etc. etc.

Truly savvy buyers (that have even MORE patience than Tesla buyers...HAHA!) will never buy a first-year production of ANY car. It takes time for QC to improve, as we've certainly witnessed with the Model 3, and the Model Y. (I'm very impressed with paint, fit and finish of my VIN 88xxx MY, 12/26/20 delivery)

Read here: Tesla dials in Model Y production line with tooling improvements

and else where (which I cannot seem to find atm) regarding the improvements in the manufacturing process for the MY. As you said, MY's produced now are pretty much defect free as compared to even earlier in the year or late 2020 ones. No reason why they can't take that knowledge and apply it across the board to the TX factory.

 

[DanDi58]

Read here: Tesla dials in Model Y production line with tooling improvements

and else where (which I cannot seem to find atm) regarding the improvements in the manufacturing process for the MY. As you said, MY's produced now are pretty much defect free as compared to even earlier in the year or late 2020 ones. No reason why they can't take that knowledge and apply it across the board to the TX factory.

It does seem, anecdotally, that a lot of the fit/finish issues now seem to be related to cars being damaged in the delivery process.

 

[Pianewman]

Read here: Tesla dials in Model Y production line with tooling improvements

and else where (which I cannot seem to find atm) regarding the improvements in the manufacturing process for the MY. As you said, MY's produced now are pretty much defect free as compared to even earlier in the year or late 2020 ones. No reason why they can't take that knowledge and apply it across the board to the TX factory.

Theoretically, yes. However, new factory, new equipment, new employees, etc. etc. The learning curve won't be as steep, but still, there will potentially be start-up issues. I hope not!

 

[Jjrss]

Theoretically, yes. However, new factory, new equipment, new employees, etc. etc. The learning curve won't be as steep, but still, there will potentially be start-up issues. I hope not!

They'll need to have experienced workers from CA factory assist in the startup of the factory, but they'll still be educating a completely untrained/unskilled work force without any experience with Tesla and EV cars.

All those untrained workers will be wreaking havoc for months until 20/80 work force is standardized (20% of the workforce understands the job and does all the work, 80% collects a paycheck, infuriates management, and keeps HR busy)

 

[juli1]

Just discovered this post. Love to see the initial reactions of the fanboys telling that tesla has the best satisfaction and it can happen anytime and it will get fixed to eventually see a buy back. Yep, Teslas are great car when they work but the quality and customer service is just not what you can expect at that price point.

@AnaS - sorry this car did not work for you and hope you find a car where you feel safe! Thanks for sharing your story!

 

[Hguptamd]

What a horrible situation, so sorry. Totally understandable you are shaken up. Hopefully the next steps Tesla takes rebuild your confidence. Please keep us posted or ask for information and support.
(Your confidence is a very subjective thing, even when you can intellectualize the experience- the internet is full of people that will tell you how you should feel, this forum is not an exception)

The people on here are insensitive and wont accept crap about Tesla. Same exact issue happened to me on a Freeway. 95 north, driving. Car shut down. 2018 model s, has had 20 visits to the service which is crap car. In general. Called 911. Could have been a disaster.
I have owned 10 cars of different brands, driven for 40 years. Never has this happened. Only 28k miles on it.
No faith. Tesla is absolute crap.

 

[avs007]

I have owned 10 cars of different brands, driven for 40 years. Never has this happened. Only 28k miles on it.
No faith. Tesla is absolute crap.

Ever drive a Honda/Acura with the J32 or J37 engine? THAT is absolute crap and lack of service right there... Transmission on my Acura TL blew up at < 30,000 miles... Left my wife stranded in the middle lane of the freeway, on an incline, with no way to move the car off the freeway. When the wife called Acura, they tried to blame her for "neglecting" the transmission, or driving it too hard. When I brought the car in, they admitted it was a "common" problem. I've had two Acura TL's from two different generations. The first needed THREE transmissions before 100,000 miles, the latter needed two transmission by the same mileage.

I've gotten into many arguments with the service department at Acura, at two different service departments with my 3 Acuras. They've replaced a punctured radiator.... Then not 3 weeks later when in for unrelated service, they said I needed to have the coolant flushed.... When I asked them to check my service records for the last service I had done, they started back pedaling saying they don't know why their master mechanic recommended a coolant flush....

Another visit, they said I needed to have all 4 tires replaced... Funny, because I just had Discount Tire mount 4 new tires the week previous... I asked what my tread-depth was, and he looked in his papers and said he didn't know, but said they looked "worn"... When I told him I had 4 brand new tires installed the previous weekend, he admitted that they didn't actually look at the tires, they only went by my mileage...

Another visit, they said I needed to have the transmission fluid flushed on my MDX (which luckily never had transmission issues, but only because it had a different transmission and didn't have a J32), or my warranty would be void... I asked them to show me where in the warranty booklet it made this mandate. So then the back pedaled, and said that I need to have the dealer perform all maintenance to maintain the warranty... So I asked to point out this section in the warranty booklet.. They backpedaled again, and said that you need "special equipment" to perform the flush... So I asked them to point out in the Acura Service Manuals, which special equipment is listed as being needed to perform a tranny flush, as I pointed out that I have the factory service manuals, both in paper form, and as a PDF on my phone.. They finally relented, and said it was just "easier" and more convenient for me, if they performed this maintenance item...

Acura never was able to fix the problems with the transmissions for the J32, (design defect with 3rd gear clutchpack, that would lead to catastrophic failure)... But they went from one problem to another... The J37's transmission was fine, but the engine was not... Honda/Acura got sued again over the J37. At least this time it wasn't catastrophic failure, but massive oil burning. Like it would burn 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles or more. They tried to say this was within spec at first, but they got sued. This time it was a design defect in the engine block that caused this failure. But they didn't fix it, they just replaced your long block, but the problem will just return again...And usually it will be on your own dime when that time came.

 

[theganjaguru]

@AnaS,
What a total bummer. Keep in mind for whatever you decide in the future, a Tesla (or practically any EV) is more a computer on wheels. In “computer lingo“, what you experienced in known as infant mortality. The product cycle of computers typically follow what is known as the bathtub curve. This curve predicts a higher rate of failure early on and then again at the end of the computers life.

Regardless what EV someone buys, it could theoretically happen with any EV you buy (don’t go to the Mach-E forum, lots of smack about Tesla and lots of battery problems!).

If you buy again, just know once you get past the initial first few months, you should have a rock solid ride. I know I do a year out. My apartment offers free charging as a perk. Total cost to run my Y this year was $40, which was for a tire rotation & warranty at discount tires. Try to do that with an ICE!

Hopefully whatever you decide next, you will go with an EV as it’s most fuel efficient. Sorry you had bad luck.

 

[jsight]

Ever drive a Honda/Acura with the J32 or J37 engine? THAT is absolute crap and lack of service right there... Transmission on my Acura TL blew up at < 30,000 miles... Left my wife stranded in the middle lane of the freeway, on an incline, with no way to move the car off the freeway. When the wife called Acura, they tried to blame her for "neglecting" the transmission, or driving it too hard. When I brought the car in, they admitted it was a "common" problem. I've had two Acura TL's from two different generations. The first needed THREE transmissions before 100,000 miles, the latter needed two transmission by the same mileage.

I've gotten into many arguments with the service department at Acura, at two different service departments with my 3 Acuras. They've replaced a punctured radiator.... Then not 3 weeks later when in for unrelated service, they said I needed to have the coolant flushed.... When I asked them to check my service records for the last service I had done, they started back pedaling saying they don't know why their master mechanic recommended a coolant flush....

Another visit, they said I needed to have all 4 tires replaced... Funny, because I just had Discount Tire mount 4 new tires the week previous... I asked what my tread-depth was, and he looked in his papers and said he didn't know, but said they looked "worn"... When I told him I had 4 brand new tires installed the previous weekend, he admitted that they didn't actually look at the tires, they only went by my mileage...

Another visit, they said I needed to have the transmission fluid flushed on my MDX (which luckily never had transmission issues, but only because it had a different transmission and didn't have a J32), or my warranty would be void... I asked them to show me where in the warranty booklet it made this mandate. So then the back pedaled, and said that I need to have the dealer perform all maintenance to maintain the warranty... So I asked to point out this section in the warranty booklet.. They backpedaled again, and said that you need "special equipment" to perform the flush... So I asked them to point out in the Acura Service Manuals, which special equipment is listed as being needed to perform a tranny flush, as I pointed out that I have the factory service manuals, both in paper form, and as a PDF on my phone.. They finally relented, and said it was just "easier" and more convenient for me, if they performed this maintenance item...

Acura never was able to fix the problems with the transmissions for the J32, (design defect with 3rd gear clutchpack, that would lead to catastrophic failure)... But they went from one problem to another... The J37's transmission was fine, but the engine was not... Honda/Acura got sued again over the J37. At least this time it wasn't catastrophic failure, but massive oil burning. Like it would burn 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles or more. They tried to say this was within spec at first, but they got sued. This time it was a design defect in the engine block that caused this failure. But they didn't fix it, they just replaced your long block, but the problem will just return again...And usually it will be on your own dime when that time came.

Honestly sometimes the Tesla service issues remind me of this: Comparing Things

There really isn't a "not having any problems" option with cars.

 

[Tom Lin]

Thx for sharing this information.
Why there are some Tesla car owners so sensitive and ridiculous? It's like they don't accept anyone to say there's something wrong only in Tesla cars that they are so foolish to spend big money to buy Tesla cars.
I have a Model Y delivered recently and I do see a lot of quality issues on it as a brand new expensive car.
Thx again to share the information and it will make me more cautious while driving the Tesla car.

 

[dannyl1017]

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.

Did you end up buying another Telsa or did you go else where? I also am waiting for my Model Y and don't want run into similar issues only to post about my problems here and being ridiculed by all the fan boys.

 

[mcsenerd]

That is quite scary. I don’t know of any brand ICE car where this is common nowadays. So I’m surprised at some of the nonchalant comments on here to suck it up and just accept it. This is quite unacceptable actually. But glad to know you were safe.

Kindly do update this thread and let us know what they find out happened. Gives me pause as I rely on my car heavily for daily work and commute on the highway mainly; it would be dreadful if this happened to me on my way to or from work.

One of my cousins had a whole wheel come off his truck driving down I-10 not long after he bought it. They were lucky too and they were ok and neither did anyone get hit by the then runaway wheel… Not downplaying your experience but things are made by humans, even as roboticized as Tesla is…that’s still true, and humans are fallible. Hope they get you fixed up and made right.

 

[avs007]

One of my cousins had a whole wheel come off his truck driving down I-10 not long after he bought it. They were lucky too and they were ok and neither did anyone get hit by the then runaway wheel… Not downplaying your experience but things are made by humans, even as roboticized as Tesla is…that’s still true, and humans are fallible. Hope they get you fixed up and made right.

I remember growing up, people used to say that you shouldn't buy a car that was assembled on a Monday or a Friday... With that being said, on the first Acura TL I bought, I bought it in another state, so drove it home with only 11 miles on the clock.. On the way home, it made an awful sound when you turned the wheel while stopped. It sounded like someone hitting the car with a baseball bat... Turned around and went back to the dealer... When I showed the SA, it scared the crap out of him when it made the noise, it was THAT loud.... They found that some of the bolts for the steering rack were MISSING, and the remaining ones were loose. They said the rack was very close from disconnecting from the car, which would've resulted in total loss of control.

 

[jsight]

I remember growing up, people used to say that you shouldn't buy a car that was assembled on a Monday or a Friday... With that being said, on the first Acura TL I bought, I bought it in another state, so drove it home with only 11 miles on the clock.. On the way home, it made an awful sound when you turned the wheel while stopped. It sounded like someone hitting the car with a baseball bat... Turned around and went back to the dealer... When I showed the SA, it scared the crap out of him when it made the noise, it was THAT loud.... They found that some of the bolts for the steering rack were MISSING, and the remaining ones were loose. They said the rack was very close from disconnecting from the car, which would've resulted in total loss of control.

Its an industry wide problem. Got a Honda with a major problem in the first 10k miles? Wow, I got a lemon. Got a (insert brand with lower CR scores here) with the same problem? Man, brand X needs to improve.

I feel like someone should research the triggers that make people generalize the same problems in some cases and specialize them in others. Maybe someone already has?

 

[avs007]

Its an industry wide problem. Got a Honda with a major problem in the first 10k miles? Wow, I got a lemon. Got a (insert brand with lower CR scores here) with the same problem? Man, brand X needs to improve.

I feel like someone should research the triggers that make people generalize the same problems in some cases and specialize them in others. Maybe someone already has?

My point was that every manufacturer has the same types of problems.

 

[Dennisis]

The people on here are insensitive and wont accept crap about Tesla. Same exact issue happened to me on a Freeway. 95 north, driving. Car shut down. 2018 model s, has had 20 visits to the service which is crap car. In general. Called 911. Could have been a disaster.
I have owned 10 cars of different brands, driven for 40 years. Never has this happened. Only 28k miles on it.
No faith. Tesla is absolute crap.

Sooooo, why are you still here?................

 

[Tom Lin]

Sooooo, why are you still here?................

I guess he is still here to watch those blind Tesla supporters like a joke.