2017 Model X Battery Failure after 2.5 months

[Spin Echo]

For the few months I've had my new MX 75D, I've taken great care not to overcharge the battery or let the charge run too low. I usually keep it around 60%. The other day I had charged the car afresh overnight as usual. My wife could not have driven the MX more than 20 miles when she got an error that the suspension was failing and the battery charge was too low. She immediately pulled over and managed to get the car onto the freeway shoulder before it went dead. The screen and other minor functions continued to work for a while then died just before the Tesla-certified tow truck arrived. Because they could no longer get the car into neutral (they actually could have, I was told later), they put plastic wedges beneath the rear wheels (the rear wheels would not rotate as they were locked by the parking brake) and pulled the car up onto the truck. The force of the tugging somehow caused the entire rear of the car to descend closer to the ground by at least a few inches or more, while the rear wheels remained fixed by the brake. This was painful to watch for a new Tesla owner. I'm certainly no mechanic but couldn't help but feel this could damage the car/suspension. At the Tesla Service Center, they verified the battery had failed and said they would be sending the pack to Fremont for an inspection. They assured me that the battery would be replaced with one that was brand new rather than refurbished. I'm still waiting on an estimate about when I'll get my MX back.

Just curious to know if anyone else has had this issue with their Tesla and whether anyone thinks that the method of getting the MX onto the tow truck could have caused any damage. The guys who towed the car apparently could have fed power to the car externally and gotten it into neutral without much trouble. This is actually what these same guys did at the service center with their own equipment to get the car off the truck! They admitted they could have done that roadside as well in about 5 minutes or less. Great! :-(

 

[traxila]

For the few months I've had my new MX 75D, I've taken great care not to overcharge the battery or let the charge run too low. I usually keep it around 60%. The other day I had charged the car afresh overnight as usual. My wife could not have driven the MX more than 20 miles when she got an error that the suspension was failing and the battery charge was too low. She immediately pulled over and managed to get the car onto the freeway shoulder before it went dead. The screen and other minor functions continued to work for a while then died just before the Tesla-certified tow truck arrived. Because they could no longer get the car into neutral (they actually could have, I was told later), they put plastic wedges beneath the rear wheels (the rear wheels would not rotate as they were locked by the parking brake) and pulled the car up onto the truck. The force of the tugging somehow caused the entire rear of the car to descend closer to the ground by at least a few inches or more, while the rear wheels remained fixed by the brake. This was painful to watch for a new Tesla owner. I'm certainly no mechanic but couldn't help but feel this could damage the car/suspension. At the Tesla Service Center, they verified the battery had failed and said they would be sending the pack to Fremont for an inspection. They assured me that the battery would be replaced with one that was brand new rather than refurbished. I'm still waiting on an estimate about when I'll get my MX back.

Just curious to know if anyone else has had this issue with their Tesla and whether anyone thinks that the method of getting the MX onto the tow truck could have caused any damage. The guys who towed the car apparently could have fed power to the car externally and gotten it into neutral without much trouble. This is actually what these same guys did at the service center with their own equipment to get the car off the truck! They admitted they could have done that roadside as well in about 5 minutes or less. Great! :-(

Hang in there. My guess is that Tesla will make you whole. Just stay and top of them and make sure they address all your concerns regarding the tow as well.

This has nothing to do with how you treated the battery. You just got a defective one. It happens, no production line is perfect.

Keep us posted.

 

[K-MTG]

Please keep us posted...

Your experience sounds similar to this:

 

[Spin Echo]

Thanks, Traxila and K-MTG for your posts. My experience wasn't quite so bad as the gentleman in the video. I'm hoping the the problem for my X was solely a battery failure. The replacement is supposed to arrive today and I may be able to pick up the car on Tuesday. Will keep you all posted about the outcome and cause of this issue.

 

[Spin Echo]

Got my MX back two days ago. Works great. They replaced the 75 KW battery, which seems like a massive undertaking, and all seems back to normal. No word on why the original battery failed. Guess I may never find out. Best to all out there at TMC!

 

[cwerdna]

Got my MX back two days ago. Works great. They replaced the 75 KW battery,

Battery capacity is measured in kWh, not "KW".

You may not realize it now, but it will become more important when people (including possibly yourself) are also discussing charging rate, which is measured in kW.

 

[traxila]

Got my MX back two days ago. Works great. They replaced the 75 KW battery, which seems like a massive undertaking, and all seems back to normal. No word on why the original battery failed. Guess I may never find out. Best to all out there at TMC!

Great news! Very Happy to hear. That old battery will be put to use. Enjoy the new one.

 

[Spin Echo]

Great news! Very Happy to hear. That old battery will be put to use. Enjoy the new one.

Thanks Traxila! All is well so far.

 

[rush6410]

Just got my car back from the service center with a very similar problem. The 12v battery died with similar warnings you received. Fortunately, my car was garaged at the time. I discovered the problem when entering the garage. All lights were erratically flashing; interior, headlamps, fog lamps, tail lamps. I barely was able to open the door to get in. Both displays were black. Reset did not work. Even the door wouldn't close all the way, but I was lucky because it completely went dead while I was in the car. Two stranger things was the wipers erratically inched up the windshield. And, when pressing the brake pedal, it would through my foot back at me with some pretty good force. I was on the phone with support when asked to hold the thumb wheels down and press the break. As soon as I touched the break it would throw it back. Try explaining that to the guy on the phone. Within minutes, it went completely dead. I assume the erratic behaviors were from the battery being at the threshold of going dead. When the flatbed arrived, they had to jump the 12v battery just to open the door and put the car in tow mode. Long story short, they had the car for a week telling me it was a major repair and had to order parts. It ended up being the Battery Management System (BMS). They ended up replacing all components involved with the system including the housing, conduits, and wiring. Since the 12v battery died, they went ahead and replaced that as well. I have to say I was impressed with their level of attention and service. When I arrived at the SC with the Flatbed, they had a loaner waiting. They said they already had engineering diagnose the problem and had an estimate ETA on the repairs. Just to add, I discovered the problem at Midnight when I made the call to support. The Flatbed was at the house at 7am and was at the SC by 830am. And, I was greeted and sent on my way by 835am.

 

[alloverx]

good service but sad it was needed. Do we know if certain batteries sizes/versions are more at risk?

 

[rush6410]

good service but sad it was needed. Do we know if certain batteries sizes/versions are more at risk?

I searched pretty extensively to find this post and only this post that was anywhere similar to my problem. So, I would assume this was uncommon. BTW...the 12v battery died because of the BMS failed. The BMS controls the charging of the 12v battery. When it failed it stopped charging the 12v.

 

[FarmerDave]

It ended up being the Battery Management System (BMS). They ended up replacing all components involved with the system including the housing, conduits, and wiring. Since the 12v battery died, they went ahead and replaced that as well.

Since the defective BMS allowed the traction battery to go dead and you don't mention its replacement, I would be concerned with the effect the incident has had on its life. Check to make sure the miles available after a 90% charge haven't diminished a lot from what it was before the incident. If it has you should ask for replacement of the traction battery.