CAR MAY NOT RESTART ALERT / PTC HEATER / HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY?

[Tezzie]

A couple of weeks ago, I started getting "Car May Not Restart" alerts on my 2018 Tesla Model S. I drove it into the Service Center immediately. At first, they thought it was the HV battery, but later changed the diagnosis to a faulty PTC Heater (for the battery). They replaced it for $2407 (out of warranty), and two days after I got the car back, I got the same "Car May Not Restart" alerts.

So, I took it back to the Service Center. They did further research and in consulting with the engineers, discovered it was a problem with the HV battery. They were not equipped to replace at that facility (too small in case of a fire), so they had the car towed an hour away to a Service Center with more space. That service center is now replacing the HV battery.

It makes me wonder whether the HV battery was the problem all along, NOT the PTC heater. Did the HV battery going bad cause the PTC heater to need replacement? If so, I want them to credit me the $2407 I paid for the new PTC heater.

Has anyone else run into this issue? Could the faulty HV battery have caused the PTC heater to fail?

 

[gaswalla]

I have had repairs done that were not the actual problem.. went back and the proper diagnosis and repairs were made. In my case, the fees I paid on the original (not needed) repair were applied to my second repair. I believe you have a solid argument for full reimbursement

 

[Tezzie]

I have had repairs done that were not the actual problem.. went back and the proper diagnosis and repairs were made. In my case, the fees I paid on the original (not needed) repair were applied to my second repair. I believe you have a solid argument for full reimbursement

The HV battery is fully covered under the warranty. The PTC heater for the battery was not.

 

[gaswalla]

the PTC did not need to be replaced... that is the assertion

 

[Tezzie]

I hope you’re right. I don’t know anything about how the Tesla is built, but I can’t help assuming that the PTC heater was not the original issue and if it was collateral damage from the malfunctioning HV battery, they wrongly charged me for replacing it.

 

[KalJoMoS]

I believe the PTC heater (not dedicated for battery but for cabin heating) failure was giving you the initial alert and while they had a closer look then there was also one of the HV fuses blown in the DC-DC converter (or HVJB if newer version) hence the $2400 bill. This PTC heater is one of the HV connections in the converter and if it fails then there is high possibility to have the corresponding fuse blown as well. That fuse change along with the heater change have rise the price that high.
The next failure that you encountered did came up after initial was cleared and might not be connected. I had a stranded car last fall and initially suspected also PTC heater but upon service diagnosis it actually was battery heater which is separate unit only dedicated for the battery cooling/heating. Here is just one search result explaining what and how things are in Model S.

 

[Tezzie]

Here's the bill, showing the diagnosis and what was replaced. They told me the PTC heater was the heater for the battery. There's nothing in the invoice about a fuse being replaced. If it helps to know, I lost regenerative braking after I got the alert for this issue. They are replacing the HV battery now, not just the fuse.

I should also mention that there was NO issue with the cabin heater in the car before this alert came up. It was working fine.

 

[jeanfrancoish]

Hi,
Same thing here, today on my Model S 2014 160000km (100000 miles)
Price
Correction : Diagnosis: Low Voltage Circuit Integrity Check 105.00
Correction : Heater - PTC (RWD) (Remove & Replace) - Remove and Replace 504.00

Parts replaced or added Quantity Unit price Total amount Devise
LEFT HAND DRIVE GEN3 PTC HTR, EMC FIX(1060432-00-E) 1.00 750.00 750.00 CAD
GEN3 PTC LEFT HAND DRIVE SERVICE, MS LEGACY(1041265-00-F) 1.00 1,155.00 1,155.00 CAD

Total parts 1,905.00 CAD
Total Labor 609.00 CAD
Subtotal 2,514.00 CAD
Taxes 376.46 CAD
Total amount 2,890.46 CAD

 

[simonme]

Hi,
Same thing here, today on my Model S 2014 160000km (100000 miles)
Price
Correction : Diagnosis: Low Voltage Circuit Integrity Check 105.00
Correction : Heater - PTC (RWD) (Remove & Replace) - Remove and Replace 504.00

Parts replaced or added Quantity Unit price Total amount Devise
LEFT HAND DRIVE GEN3 PTC HTR, EMC FIX(1060432-00-E) 1.00 750.00 750.00 CAD
GEN3 PTC LEFT HAND DRIVE SERVICE, MS LEGACY(1041265-00-F) 1.00 1,155.00 1,155.00 CAD

Total parts 1,905.00 CAD
Total Labor 609.00 CAD
Subtotal 2,514.00 CAD
Taxes 376.46 CAD
Total amount 2,890.46 CAD

Same thing just happened to me; battery failure then cabin heater failed, costing $2k because unlike the battery it wasn’t under warranty. I keep wondering if the HV pack failure damaged the cabin heater somehow or the replacement process did. I had no cabin heating problems before this.

 

[simonme]

Same thing just happened to me; battery failure then cabin heater failed, costing $2k because unlike the battery it wasn’t under warranty. I keep wondering if the HV pack failure damaged the cabin heater somehow or the replacement process did. I had no cabin heating problems before this.

Did you have any update on whether they refunded you for your heater repair?