Big Bang

[Stevedore]

So I headed out this morning to run a few errands, and as I turned a corner & accelerated, I heard & felt a very large BANG from underneath the rear of the car, followed by continued trashing & banging around of something or other under there, and many error messages & warnings on the screen. I'm not familiar with the Tesla's drivetrain, but from my ~50 years of DIY car maintenance & repair, I'm expecting a broken halfshaft or connecting joint.

I was on sort of a busy road, but I was able to pull over onto the end of someone's driveway. The car wouldn't move forwards or backwards, regardless or what I tried. I contacted roadside assistance & they arrived in about an hour. The car is on its way to the Springfield NJ service center. I am EXTREMELY thankful that this is under warranty, & hope it doesn't take too long to fix. I'm wondering if they'll provide a loaner while it's there. Not critical, but it would be nice.

 

[NJEV-Don]

So I headed out this morning to run a few errands, and as I turned a corner & accelerated, I heard & felt a very large BANG from underneath the rear of the car, followed by continued trashing & banging around of something or other under there, and many error messages & warnings on the screen. I'm not familiar with the Tesla's drivetrain, but from my ~50 years of DIY car maintenance & repair, I'm expecting a broken halfshaft or connecting joint.

I was on sort of a busy road, but I was able to pull over onto the end of someone's driveway. The car wouldn't move forwards or backwards, regardless or what I tried. I contacted roadside assistance & they arrived in about an hour. The car is on its way to the Springfield NJ service center. I am EXTREMELY thankful that this is under warranty, & hope it doesn't take too long to fix. I'm wondering if they'll provide a loaner while it's there. Not critical, but it would be nice.

That sucks dude.

 

[sleepydoc]

So I headed out this morning to run a few errands, and as I turned a corner & accelerated, I heard & felt a very large BANG from underneath the rear of the car, followed by continued trashing & banging around of something or other under there, and many error messages & warnings on the screen. I'm not familiar with the Tesla's drivetrain, but from my ~50 years of DIY car maintenance & repair, I'm expecting a broken halfshaft or connecting joint.

I was on sort of a busy road, but I was able to pull over onto the end of someone's driveway. The car wouldn't move forwards or backwards, regardless or what I tried. I contacted roadside assistance & they arrived in about an hour. The car is on its way to the Springfield NJ service center. I am EXTREMELY thankful that this is under warranty, & hope it doesn't take too long to fix. I'm wondering if they'll provide a loaner while it's there. Not critical, but it would be nice.

Tesla's don't have a transmission but they do still have a gear box - this sounds like a catastrophic gear box failure. It could also be the drive shaft coming from the gear box out to the wheel. Hope they get it fixed soon - let us know what happens.

 

[Mike_TV]

@Stevedore What were warning or error messages that came up on the screen?

 

[Stevedore]

@Stevedore What were warning or error messages that came up on the screen?

The warning/error messages were so numerous & popping up so quickly I was unable to pay much attention to them. I was primarily concerned with getting off the somewhat busy roadway, with no power. I recall a few warnings that regen braking wouldn't work, top speed was limited, etc., etc., etc.

After looking at pictures & videos relating to the rear drive unit, I'm suspecting that either a half shaft or CV joint broke. Too much banging around as I coasted to a stop to be something buried inside the motor/gearbox, IMO.

I spoke with someone at the SC who said that he probably wouldn't have any diagnosis for me until Tuesday. To their credit, they're providing a loaner, and an Uber credit to get a ride down there to pick it up on Monday.

 

[Stevedore]

Just an update: The SC (Springfield, NJ) has had my car for 2 full work weeks now. Originally, the estimated completion date was 8/15, & they said it needed an axle (halfshaft), and that they had received the part. Then the estimated completion date shown in the app changed to today, 8/22. I just spoke with someone on the phone who said that after the axle was replaced, symptoms & further diagnosis indicated the the need to replace the rear drive unit as well. They have the drive unit, but could provide no estimated completion date. The person on the phone said that my car is "in the queue" for completion, but they are short-handed & backed up with waiting repairs.

Of course I want my car back asap; I miss it! In fairness, though, they provided me with a loaner Model X, so I can't complain too loudly. I am, again, quite happy that this is all under warranty!

 

[Brolan]

Sorry you have go through this. Happy driving in the future!