BMS error disappeared after update

[Splitert]

Last week my 2013 Signature P85 Model S showed an error message when I entered the car in the morning:
BMS_U029 Maximum battery charge level reduced - Driving Ok, make a service appointment
The batterypack was replaced less than 2 years ago under warranty and has less than 16K miles on it.

I had just charged the car the day before from 2% to 96% and the error showed up with a SoC of +-84%
I did a scroll wheels+brake reset and shutdown the car for 10 minutes as advised by the SC, but the error remained.
The SC managed to book me an appointment the next day to perform a diagnosis since they said they wouldn't be able to perform a proper diagnosis remote.

Not even 15 minutes after that call I got an email requesting acceptance for a €12.000,- quote for a batterypack replacement.
When calling the SC I was told that they were able to remotely diagnose the issue and that the batterypack has an internal failure.


I tried charging my model S the next day with a 50% SoC, but immediately got a "charging complete" notification on the app.
The next day I was able to charge my car from a 35% SoC to 40% with the mobile adapter before getting the notification.
I found a tip that resetting to factory settings would remove the error message, after the factory reset the message was gone and I was able to charge the car to the set SoC of 90%

The next day the message reappeared and stayed after a scroll wheels+brake reset and shutdown.
During that day I installed a software update and after the update the message was gone and I haven't seen the message again and I have charged to 90% multiple times already.

Because they first couldn't remote diagnose this problem and then suddenly could less than 15 minutes later and because they couldn't/wouldn't tell me what exactly had failed other than the generic internal failure, I highly doubt the service center performed a diagnose and instead just told me to get a battery replacement based on the error code.

Has anyone ever experienced a similar error message disappearing and was still able to put a lot of miles on their batterypack without issues after?

 

[cd2309]

I just got this message on my model s (2013 my dad gifted me when he upgraded). It Was perfectly fine one day—I supercharged to 165 miles and arrived home with 35 miles and plugged into my garage—then the next morning i woke up to a message that said “maximum charge level reduced” and car would not go past 67 miles charge.

I did the scroll+brake reset 2x with no luck. So I am googling for answers before my service center appt. my dad wants me to try to supercharge it before taking it in but i am also going to try the factory reset and hope it works!!!

I will add that I am very unimpressed with Tesla at the moment. The car is having so many issues but is less than 10 years old and only has 67.5k miles on it......

1) my steering wheel screen started delaminating this month and has all these bubbles in it...the bubbles continue to multiply whenever the temp outside is warmer. Will probably need replacement.

2) maximum charge battery reduced error / car only charging to 65 miles.......... making it impossible to go anywhere

3) my drivers side window must have a wonky switch or a sensor (idk..I have no clue how cars work) but the thing will not fully roll back up unless you open/shut the door. About half way back up it will stop and roll itself all the way back down over and over until you open/close the door then it will roll back up.

4) I have had to replace microswitches on 3 out of 4 door handles since having this car. One of the replaced Handles on drivers side needs to be replaced AGAIN! It will present when you walk up to the car and sometimes it will close on your fingers as you are opening the door (it hurts and has broken my nails ruining 2 separate manicures!!!)

For a car less than 10 years old and way less than 100k miles on it I am shocked that it is having this many issues. I’ve owned several cars for way longer/way more mileage and NONE of them have had issues this early or costly!

 

[Electric700]

Sorry to see you're having those issues. The biggest one is the 65 mile range problem. Did the factory reset work? I saw elsewhere that it has helped others. You can also try a software update, and charge to 90%. The below companies offer main battery repair, if required, for close to $5k. You should request a low-cost battery repair option from Tesla first though. Keep in mind that the Model S came out in 2012. The 2022 version has benefited from 10 years of improvements, so I expect (and hope) that the current model will have fewer out of warranty problems.

057tech.com

grubermotors.com

electrifiedgarage.com

 

[Splitert]

I seem to be able to prevent the error from reappearing by not charging above a SoC of 80%. I've had the error reappear when I charged it to 90%, that also seems to be what triggered the error after the first factory reset. Alos software updates already have removed the warning twice, so it only seems the be happening when the BMS is doing some sort of calibration stuff at a SoC of 90%+. Keeping the max charging SoC below 80% allows me to be able to use the car as normal, since I only drive 40 miles per day for work. Especially now that Tesla has pushed my service appointment back another 10 days, the ability to "remove" the error warning prevents this issue from becoming a major PITA.

1) my steering wheel screen started delaminating this month and has all these bubbles in it...the bubbles continue to multiply whenever the temp outside is warmer. Will probably need replacement.

That is gonna be a very expensive repair though, if you're still running a MCUv1. I had some issues with the Tegra board of the instrument cluster failing, the screen blacking out and rebooting, and was quoted almost €1.200,- to replace just the instrument cluster. I decided to rather go for the MCUv2 upgrade since that was only a bit more expensive.

Sorry to see you're having those issues. The biggest one is the 65 mile range problem. Did the factory reset work? I saw elsewhere that it has helped others. You can also try a software update, and charge to 90%. The below companies offer main battery repair, if required, for close to $5k. You should request a low-cost battery repair option from Tesla first though. Keep in mind that the Model S came out in 2012. The 2022 version has benefited from 10 years of improvements, so I expect (and hope) that the current model will have fewer out of warranty problems.

057tech.com

grubermotors.com

electrifiedgarage.com

Sadly those options aren't available to me in Europe. What kind of low-cost battery repair option would Tesla offer though? I've been told the only option is to replace the full pack for the €12.000 I was quoted with no other options available.

Of course, a 2022 version Model S should be more reliable than the 2012/2013 version Model S. That doesn't mean that it is acceptable for a replacement pack to fail after so little time and with such a low mileage as mine did. You'd expect that at least some of the reliability updates that Tesla made to the batterypack would have also been made to the replacement packs. In my case the original battery pack by far outperformed the replacement one, you would expect different based on the fact that the replacement one is a newer revision, which theoretically should be more reliable.

 

[cd2309]

Sorry to see you're having those issues. The biggest one is the 65 mile range problem. Did the factory reset work? I saw elsewhere that it has helped others. You can also try a software update, and charge to 90%. The below companies offer main battery repair, if required, for close to $5k. You should request a low-cost battery repair option from Tesla first though. Keep in mind that the Model S came out in 2012. The 2022 version has benefited from 10 years of improvements, so I expect (and hope) that the current model will have fewer out of warranty problems.

057tech.com

grubermotors.com

electrifiedgarage.com

Actually the error message went away on its own after an update. Was gone for about maybe a week or two and was charging normally again. I just charged from 15%-100% and the message popped back up randomly this morning. I live in Texas and both times the max level reduced message has popped up when weather was much colder than normal. I’m not sure if that could have something to do with it. But the fact that my battery was working fine again after the original message makes me think it is more of a software glitch than an actual battery failure.

 

[cd2309]

I seem to be able to prevent the error from reappearing by not charging above a SoC of 80%. I've had the error reappear when I charged it to 90%, that also seems to be what triggered the error after the first factory reset. Alos software updates already have removed the warning twice, so it only seems the be happening when the BMS is doing some sort of calibration stuff at a SoC of 90%+. Keeping the max charging SoC below 80% allows me to be able to use the car as normal, since I only drive 40 miles per day for work. Especially now that Tesla has pushed my service appointment back another 10 days, the ability to "remove" the error warning prevents this issue from becoming a major PITA.

That is gonna be a very expensive repair though, if you're still running a MCUv1. I had some issues with the Tegra board of the instrument cluster failing, the screen blacking out and rebooting, and was quoted almost €1.200,- to replace just the instrument cluster. I decided to rather go for the MCUv2 upgrade since that was only a bit more expensive.


Sadly those options aren't available to me in Europe. What kind of low-cost battery repair option would Tesla offer though? I've been told the only option is to replace the full pack for the €12.000 I was quoted with no other options available.

Of course, a 2022 version Model S should be more reliable than the 2012/2013 version Model S. That doesn't mean that it is acceptable for a replacement pack to fail after so little time and with such a low mileage as mine did. You'd expect that at least some of the reliability updates that Tesla made to the batterypack would have also been made to the replacement packs. In my case the original battery pack by far outperformed the replacement one, you would expect different based on the fact that the replacement one is a newer revision, which theoretically should be more reliable.

Actually the error message went away on its own after an update. Was gone for about maybe a week or two and was charging normally again. I just charged from 15%-100% and the message popped back up randomly this morning. I live in Texas and both times the max level reduced message has popped up when weather was much colder than normal. I’m not sure if that could have something to do with it. But the fact that my battery was working fine again after the original message makes me think it is more of a software glitch than an actual battery failure.

I seem to be able to prevent the error from reappearing by not charging above a SoC of 80%. I've had the error reappear when I charged it to 90%, that also seems to be what triggered the error after the first factory reset. Alos software updates already have removed the warning twice, so it only seems the be happening when the BMS is doing some sort of calibration stuff at a SoC of 90%+. Keeping the max charging SoC below 80% allows me to be able to use the car as normal, since I only drive 40 miles per day for work. Especially now that Tesla has pushed my service appointment back another 10 days, the ability to "remove" the error warning prevents this issue from becoming a major PITA.

That is gonna be a very expensive repair though, if you're still running a MCUv1. I had some issues with the Tegra board of the instrument cluster failing, the screen blacking out and rebooting, and was quoted almost €1.200,- to replace just the instrument cluster. I decided to rather go for the MCUv2 upgrade since that was only a bit more expensive.


Sadly those options aren't available to me in Europe. What kind of low-cost battery repair option would Tesla offer though? I've been told the only option is to replace the full pack for the €12.000 I was quoted with no other options available.

Of course, a 2022 version Model S should be more reliable than the 2012/2013 version Model S. That doesn't mean that it is acceptable for a replacement pack to fail after so little time and with such a low mileage as mine did. You'd expect that at least some of the reliability updates that Tesla made to the batterypack would have also been made to the replacement packs. In my case the original battery pack by far outperformed the replacement one, you would expect different based on the fact that the replacement one is a newer revision, which theoretically should be more reliable.

Great tip about keeping the SOC below 80%. I was Charging the battery to near full both times I have gotten the error message.

I typically charge to daily use and part of that is because I charge in my garage so I get a slower charge than if I went to a supercharger. Dallas had snow/ice storms both times this message has appeared so my car was left charging longer than normal and got almost to 100%. I’m not sure if the colder temps have any impact either.

 

[Workbirdy]

Great tip about keeping the SOC below 80%. I was Charging the battery to near full both times I have gotten the error message.

I typically charge to daily use and part of that is because I charge in my garage so I get a slower charge than if I went to a supercharger. Dallas had snow/ice storms both times this message has appeared so my car was left charging longer than normal and got almost to 100%. I’m not sure if the colder temps have any impact either.

Have you found away to make the error message go away? I factory reset and its still happening I'm only able to charge 80 miles

 

[Electric700]

…Sadly those options aren't available to me in Europe. What kind of low-cost battery repair option would Tesla offer though? I've been told the only option is to replace the full pack for the €12.000 I was quoted with no other options available.
…

A remanufactured battery from Tesla should have a lower cost, but it looks like what you were quoted is close to the lowest I’ve seen so far from them. Perhaps search for other European options. If any forum members know of one, please do post it here.

Have you found away to make the error message go away? I factory reset and its still happening I'm only able to charge 80 miles

Try a software update, and set the maximum charge level to 80%. You may still need a main battery repair service though (see some options above from Tesla and other companies such as 057tech.com).

 

[Splitert]

A remanufactured battery from Tesla should have a lower cost, but it looks like what you were quoted is close to the lowest I’ve seen so far from them. Perhaps search for other European options. If any forum members know of one, please do post it here.

That €12.000 quote sadly is for a remanufactured one, a brand new pack isn't available anytime soon and will costs almost twice as much as a remanufactured one. I haven't been able to find any other company here in Europe that repairs or even replaces battery packs.

 

[BIZTEam]

That €12.000 quote sadly is for a remanufactured one, a brand new pack isn't available anytime soon and will costs almost twice as much as a remanufactured one. I haven't been able to find any other company here in Europe that repairs or even replaces battery packs.

Hi, EV Clinic does battery repairs in Croatia

 

[Myfirstone]

I seem to be able to prevent the error from reappearing by not charging above a SoC of 80%. I've had the error reappear when I charged it to 90%, that also seems to be what triggered the error after the first factory reset. Alos software updates already have removed the warning twice, so it only seems the be happening when the BMS is doing some sort of calibration stuff at a SoC of 90%+. Keeping the max charging SoC below 80% allows me to be able to use the car as normal, since I only drive 40 miles per day for work. Especially now that Tesla has pushed my service appointment back another 10 days, the ability to "remove" the error warning prevents this issue from becoming a major PITA.

That is gonna be a very expensive repair though, if you're still running a MCUv1. I had some issues with the Tegra board of the instrument cluster failing, the screen blacking out and rebooting, and was quoted almost €1.200,- to replace just the instrument cluster. I decided to rather go for the MCUv2 upgrade since that was only a bit more expensive.


Sadly those options aren't available to me in Europe. What kind of low-cost battery repair option would Tesla offer though? I've been told the only option is to replace the full pack for the €12.000 I was quoted with no other options available.

Of course, a 2022 version Model S should be more reliable than the 2012/2013 version Model S. That doesn't mean that it is acceptable for a replacement pack to fail after so little time and with such a low mileage as mine did. You'd expect that at least some of the reliability updates that Tesla made to the batterypack would have also been made to the replacement packs. In my case the original battery pack by far outperformed the replacement one, you would expect different based on the fact that the replacement one is a newer revision, which theoretically should be more reliable.

“”That is gonna be a very expensive repair though, if you're still running a MCUv1. I had some issues with the Tegra board of the instrument cluster failing, the screen blacking out and rebooting, and was quoted almost €1.200,- to replace just the instrument cluster. I decided to rather go for the MCUv2 upgrade since that was only a bit more expensive.””

I had the same problem and got a new 2e EMMC Tegra replace for free. Had also the instrumentendisplay rebooting problems.

 

[Brianwreid]

A remanufactured battery from Tesla should have a lower cost, but it looks like what you were quoted is close to the lowest I’ve seen so far from them. Perhaps search for other European options. If any forum members know of one, please do post it here.



Try a software update, and set the maximum charge level to 80%. You may still need a main battery repair service though (see some options above from Tesla and other companies such as 057tech.com).

I see several people suggesting one way to remove error message is to try a software update. I assume that this only works if you’re running an outdated software rev? As my car says it’s up-to-date, is there some way to force an update or a reinstall?

 

[Brianwreid]

A remanufactured battery from Tesla should have a lower cost, but it looks like what you were quoted is close to the lowest I’ve seen so far from them. Perhaps search for other European options. If any forum members know of one, please do post it here.



Try a software update, and set the maximum charge level to 80%. You may still need a main battery repair service though (see some options above from Tesla and other companies such as 057tech.com).

I see several people suggesting one way to remove error message is to try a software update. I assume that this only works if you’re running an outdated software rev? As my car says it’s up-to-date, is there some way to force an update or a reinstall? Thanks

 

[Electric700]

I see several people suggesting one way to remove error message is to try a software update. I assume that this only works if you’re running an outdated software rev? As my car says it’s up-to-date, is there some way to force an update or a reinstall? Thanks

Is your car connected to WiFi (even through your phone)? If not, you can do that and get the latest update through the Software sub-menu.

After trying those steps and if a software update isn't available, try doing a full restart by putting your foot on the brake and holding the left and right scroll wheel buttons for 10 seconds, then release everything. The restart may take 1 - 2 minutes to complete. I hope these steps work for you!

 

[Splitert]

I see several people suggesting one way to remove error message is to try a software update. I assume that this only works if you’re running an outdated software rev? As my car says it’s up-to-date, is there some way to force an update or a reinstall? Thanks

Yeah, I just keep the latest update pending and won't download it until the error message shows up. Since my model S is considered legacy I'm not missing out on many new features, so it doesn't bother me at all. If you don't have an update pending, a factory reset might also work to reset the error message, for me it already worked a few times.

 

[Workbirdy]

Yeah, I just keep the latest update pending and won't download it until the error message shows up. Since my model S is considered legacy I'm not missing out on many new features, so it doesn't bother me at all. If you don't have an update pending, a factory reset might also work to reset the error message, for me it already worked a few times.

In order for your car to work with out any problems you need 2021.24.27 and charge faster find someone to root your car

 

[Brianwreid]

Is your car connected to WiFi (even through your phone)? If not, you can do that and get the latest update through the Software sub-menu.

After trying those steps and if a software update isn't available, try doing a full restart by putting your foot on the brake and holding the left and right scroll wheel buttons for 10 seconds, then release everything. The restart may take 1 - 2 minutes to complete. I hope these steps work for you!

Hi. Thanks for the reply. Yes, I’m connected to wi-fi. I’m on 21.24.28, which I guess is the latest version for my 2013 P85+. I have got the dreaded “battery charging level reduced” message (BMS_u029) and Tesla’s immediate response is for me to approve a $12,900 replacement. I’ve contacted Recell and cost is $7200-$8800. Trying to clarify their warranty position, but it’s still a ton of money for a car that’s a few weeks out of warranty.

 

[Jolat]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. Yes, I’m connected to wi-fi. I’m on 21.24.28, which I guess is the latest version for my 2013 P85+. I have got the dreaded “battery charging level reduced” message (BMS_u029) and Tesla’s immediate response is for me to approve a $12,900 replacement. I’ve contacted Recell and cost is $7200-$8800. Trying to clarify their warranty position, but it’s still a ton of money for a car that’s a few weeks out of warranty.

What did you end up doing? running into a similar issue now.

 

[vanwho]

That is gonna be a very expensive repair though, if you're still running a MCUv1. I had some issues with the Tegra board of the instrument cluster failing, the screen blacking out and rebooting, and was quoted almost €1.200,- to replace just the instrument cluster. I decided to rather go for the MCUv2 upgrade since that was only a bit more expensive.

Side note, you can buy a used IC screen/unit for 150-200€ or $ (newer MCU1 revisions don't bubble) and replace it yourself, it's quite simple and doesn't require any special tools or software tomfoolery, just a swap of the screen, plenty of youtube video instructions.