Battery runs out with 16% indicated range remaining

[MP3Mike]

Well here's the update: My car just got a new battery pack! They're telling me it's a brand new one, not refurbished, so hopefully it will add many years to the life of my car. There was indeed a problem with the original battery that necessitated a replacement, and although the symptoms were obvious, the car's computer failed to detect it. It got so bad that it actually died at Tejon Ranch on the way to the service center with 40% charge - due to a major cell imbalance it refused to charge so it had to be towed the rest of the way to Burbank. Since this was a defect covered under the 8-year battery warranty, there was no charge for the tow or for the battery replacement, and in the meantime I got another Model S as a loaner. On Monday morning I'll make the long trip down there to pick up the car. Looking forward to see how it turned out!

Hopefully Tesla takes a chance to analyze the data from your faulty battery pack and updates the automated diagnostics so someone else doesn't have to go through the same thing that you did.

 

[MP3Mike]

That must be a relief. Which car (battery) do you own? And how does the warranty work on a new replacement battery: I don't think they give another 8 years on replacement batteries, or do they?

Just like pretty much all warranties the warranty term remains the same. The only exception is when you are close to the end of the term you usually get some extra. Like maybe: Original warranty term remains with a minimum coverage of 6 months. (I haven't heard about the battery but I think for other parts Tesla gives a minimum coverage term of 12 months.)

I have even seen Tesla replace the battery under warranty when the battery was really out of warranty.

 

[CyberShy]

That won’t fix a bad battery as the OP had.

Cool. I missed that. But my post is still valid regarding balancing.

 

[gaswalla]

Will be interested in your new battery - I didn't think the had new 85s available nor 90s. A 'new refurbished' 85 is what I would expect

 

[KArnold]

↑
Does that mean you had to push it a couple of blocks to get it home?
That's right. It was an "unscheduled" workout.

Can you man-handle the steering with no power?

 

[johnr]

Can you man-handle the steering with no power?

Yes, it just gets really hard to turn. In this case though, the 12V battery still had enough energy to provide power steering.

That must be a relief. Which car (battery) do you own? And how does the warranty work on a new replacement battery: I don't think they give another 8 years on replacement batteries, or do they?

I have the classic 85, 2013MY with 128k mi. Hopefully there's no defect with this new battery in which case it should easily outlast the remainder of the warranty.

I recommend charging to 100%. It’s the most likely time that cell balancing occurs.

Interestingly, I charged to 100% the day before I experienced the first issue with the battery, since I was going on a long trip and wanted to make sure it was balanced. I do this rarely, like a couple times a year, and otherwise I try to stay within the 25-80% range. Seems this time though, my effort to balance the battery with a full charge may have helped to bring the defect to light.

Hopefully Tesla takes a chance to analyze the data from your faulty battery pack and updates the automated diagnostics so someone else doesn't have to go through the same thing that you did.

I hope so too! The SC told me this was an unusual occurrence where the software noticed things weren't quite right but thought it wasn't bad enough to throw an alert.

Will be interested in your new battery - I didn't think the had new 85s available nor 90s. A 'new refurbished' 85 is what I would expect

I asked if it's a refurbished one and they said no it's a brand new one. Of course I'll be sure to check the label on the battery to see what it shows.

 

[mongo]

I was wrong in saying "all" which should be Electric Parking Brake only.

https://jalopnik.com/heres-how-electronic-parking-brakes-work-1828204278
"Another added advantage was protecting the vehicle “from unauthorized use,” as the brakes would be locked when the engine was switched off and only unlocked with the return of the electronic key."

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/2016_Model_S_Emergency_Response_Guide_en.pdf
"NOTE: If the electrical system is not working, the electric parking brake cannot be released. Attempt to jump start the 12V battery. For instructions, call Tesla Roadside Assistance."

From the owner's manual:

The parking brake has an internal motor that engages/ disengages it. It needs power to release and will not automatically engage if it loses power.

"By default" the parking brake stays in the last state is was in.

 

[scaesare]

Charge balancing needs to occur, but I have never read about a way to force it or what conditions even trigger it on any Tesla.

While not definitively the only time it will occur, @wk057 observed the bleed resistors getting warm (with an IR camera), once the pack got above 93% charge.

 

[CyberShy]

While not definitively the only time it will occur, @wk057 observed the bleed resistors getting warm (with an IR camera), once the pack got above 93% charge.

That doesn’t surprise me. We just don’‘t have enough information about their charge balancing algorithm to make any real conclusion.

Balancing at TOC (top of charge) is a common way to do it, but not the only way.

I’m glad they replaced the pack. A simple data dump to Tesla of the cell group voltage history would have given Tesla enough info to determine if it was a balancing issue or a bad cell group. Obviously, they made their decision.

 

[SilverSp33d3r]

View attachment 358070

A couple days ago, while cruising along the freeway at 70mph my Model S abruptly shut off with no warning, claiming that the battery power was too low. There were no limit lines until the split second before it shut off. However, there should have been plenty of range remaining - the indicated battery charge level was 16%. It wasn't cold either - the outside temperature was 57 F.

Fortunately this happened just a few blocks from home. So, several minutes later upon completing my unscheduled cardio workout, the car was back home and plugged in so it could charge up. However, there was an error message on the dash saying "charge level will be restricted" and it wouldn't pull any more than 5 amps. Upon reaching an indicated 19% SOC it stopped altogether, claiming "charging complete".

View attachment 358073

After unplugging and plugging in a few times, and then switching to a 120V trickle charge, a few hours later I was finally able to coax it up to 20% at which point it was able to start charging normally again.

So, there were two problems: (1) running out of juice at 16% SOC, and (2) the car was reluctant to get past 19% SOC after running out.

This was actually the second time this has happened. The first time was a couple weeks ago. It has gone below 16% a handful of times before but has never run out suddenly like this, and there were always limit lines to warn me that it was getting low.

I called the service center, and they checked remotely and said the vehicle isn't reporting any issues with the battery. I'm taking it to the service center next week, so we'll see how that goes.

I've always been very careful with the battery, or so I thought - attempting to stay within the 20-80% area as much as possible, and using range mode - so I certainly didn't expect this. Has anyone else experienced running out with significant remaining range? Any idea what could have gone wrong here?

Sorry if you have already answered this but what size battery did you have? Awaiting update to see what they give you....

 

[johnr]

This is the new battery I got. Original was an "A" and this one's a "D" so I understand that's an improvement.

 

[FlyinLow]

This is the new battery I got. Original was an "A" and this one's a "D" so I understand that's an improvement.

Excellent. As my 14 MS 85 cruises past 140,000 miles I’m optimistic. I’m glad Tesla is standing behind their batteries.

 

[gaswalla]

Excellent! Take a look at the part number on your invoice - you'll be able to see if it's new or 'REMAN' meaning refurbished - it's listed right before the part number

 

[SilverSp33d3r]

This is the new battery I got. Original was an "A" and this one's a "D" so I understand that's an improvement.

View attachment 371099

I believe by having “R1” on the serial number means it is a re-manufactured battery pack. Did you happen to take a picture of yours prior to getting it replaced?

 

[ivan801]

Had the same thing happen to me at 20% of charge remaining. This was a loaner S60. After a while the car shut down and refused to power back up. Tow truck driver had to work super hard to get the car on and off the trailer because wheels were locked up.

 

[Evbwcaer]

This is the new battery I got. Original was an "A" and this one's a "D" so I understand that's an improvement.

View attachment 371099

Thats a big improvement, I believe, because you will go from 90kw max charging rate to 120kw max charging rate if I remember right.

 

[sorka]

Yes, it just gets really hard to turn. In this case though, the 12V battery still had enough energy to provide power steering.
I have the classic 85, 2013MY with 128k mi. Hopefully there's no defect with this new battery in which case it should easily outlast the remainder of the warranty.
Interestingly, I charged to 100% the day before I experienced the first issue with the battery, since I was going on a long trip and wanted to make sure it was balanced. I do this rarely, like a couple times a year, and otherwise I try to stay within the 25-80% range. Seems this time though, my effort to balance the battery with a full charge may have helped to bring the defect to light.
I hope so too! The SC told me this was an unusual occurrence where the software noticed things weren't quite right but thought it wasn't bad enough to throw an alert.
I asked if it's a refurbished one and they said no it's a brand new one. Of course I'll be sure to check the label on the battery to see what it shows.

Just check the lifetime BMS kwh count and you'll know if it's new or not.

 

[Logger]

Just like pretty much all warranties the warranty term remains the same. The only exception is when you are close to the end of the term you usually get some extra. Like maybe: Original warranty term remains with a minimum coverage of 6 months. (I haven't heard about the battery but I think for other parts Tesla gives a minimum coverage term of 12 months.)

I have even seen Tesla replace the battery under warranty when the battery was really out of warranty.

I think this all might depend on the people. I was informed earlier this week by a Service Center that if a part if purchased by the owner then there is a 12 month warranty on the part. But if you had something replaced under warranty, it was only covered until the original warranty ran out.
However I had spoken to another Service Center a couple years ago and was told about the 12 month warranty on all replacement parts no matter when they were replaced or if they were covered by the warranty or paid for by the owner.

Maybe it has to deal with whoever is running the Service Center? I'm not entirely sure. I will say I've learned that I must document everything haha.

 

[MP3Mike]

I think this all might depend on the people. I was informed earlier this week by a Service Center that if a part if purchased by the owner then there is a 12 month warranty on the part. But if you had something replaced under warranty, it was only covered until the original warranty ran out.
However I had spoken to another Service Center a couple years ago and was told about the 12 month warranty on all replacement parts no matter when they were replaced or if they were covered by the warranty or paid for by the owner.

Maybe it has to deal with whoever is running the Service Center? I'm not entirely sure. I will say I've learned that I must document everything haha.

When purchasing a part the actually the warranty depends on the type of part:

The Tesla Parts, Body & Paint Repair Limited Warranty begins on the purchase date of the part(s), and coverage extends for a period of 12 months. Specific categories of parts have unique warranty coverage periods:

• Sheet metal: Limited lifetime
• Drive Unit: 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first
• Vehicle High Voltage Battery: 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first
• Wall Connectors: 4 years
• Touchscreen and microcontroller unit: 4 years

 

[msportsdoc]

I have had my model s now for just over 2 weeks. It's a used p90d with some miles on it but I didn't expect for such a significant battery degradation. It's advertised at 294 miles/charge but at max I'm getting 254. The service tech called me to say that based on his internal description for this model it's only supposed to provide 270 at which time I then sent him the paperwork shown on the tesla website as well as the discussion I had with another tech who said it seems as if there a problem with the battery as the previous owner must have let the battery die once or twice.

It seems strange to assume that any owner would "let the battery die". Can anyone tell me if their similar model gets close to this 294 est and how challenging was it to get the service people to replace the battery?