Cold weather and smart air suspension issue

[Albatross]

About three times now when driving from Ottawa to Tremblant when it has been at its coldest (eg -15C or lower) about 1/2 way into the trip I receive the red warning icon on the dash which indicates smart air suspension isn't working. Unfortunately, means sometime the car is stuck in the law position.

The first time it looked like there was a buildup of snow in the wheel well which fell out once th car warmed up (heated garage). Other two times I couldn't see any buildup.

However once the car was warm next time I used it red icon was gone and everything working fine. I have had that issue at all on shorter drives.

Has anyone else run into this issue in extreme cold ? Any ideas ?

 

[Doug_G]

Never had any issues with mine, in any weather.

 

[Albatross]

Thanks Doug. Perhaps a service issue then. Seems strange only happens at highway speed after an hour or so when really cold.

Never had any issues with mine, in any weather.

 

[Steph_S]

I had this problem happen twice. My car was also stuck in odd positions. One of them was the front being on low, and the rear on very high !
This was last year - it was very cold (-30C) I even had the car in a heated garage for 8 hours, but the heat didn't help. I figure they replaced a lot of parts WRT the suspension.

 

[mrjedistud]

After 2 years of owning my car I just experienced this this morning. The temp here is 12 degrees F.

 

[techMology]

After 2 years of owning my car I just experienced this this morning. The temp here is 12 degrees F.

+1, except it was -18 celsius, and I've had mine my MS three months short of 4 years. It wasn't a red icon, though. Yellow icon on the dash, no warning. The "!" warning icon was due to regenerative braking being disabled, and didn't show any error for the suspension. Only when I tried to change ride height did it tell me there was a problem and that it needed service.

Got in the car 6 hours later and the problem cleared up.

 

[mrElbe]

Had the red icon yesterday at -19C. Also had low air pressure message on both left wheels. Explainable because Orlando Service Center adjusted tire pressures to 45 lbs in warm Florida weather.

 

[Drone Flyer]

I had this problem happen twice. My car was also stuck in odd positions. One of them was the front being on low, and the rear on very high !
This was last year - it was very cold (-30C) I even had the car in a heated garage for 8 hours, but the heat didn't help. I figure they replaced a lot of parts WRT the suspension.


View attachment 113719View attachment 113720

Sounds like your car wants to be a 1969 Suped up Dodge Dart!

 

[SmartElectric]

In -22C early morning on the 29th the front air compressor pump ran continuously attempting to even out the suspension as we reversed out of the garage. We park on gravel, and the car is always at a tilt in the garage...it's a barn, but we call it a garage.

The air pump went silent as we drove up the street and the car could level itself.

Also had low TPMS setting alert the same morning...went away as we drove.

 

[rdangerfield]

About three times now when driving from Ottawa to Tremblant when it has been at its coldest (eg -15C or lower) about 1/2 way into the trip I receive the red warning icon on the dash which indicates smart air suspension isn't working. Unfortunately, means sometime the car is stuck in the law position.

The first time it looked like there was a buildup of snow in the wheel well which fell out once th car warmed up (heated garage). Other two times I couldn't see any buildup.

However once the car was warm next time I used it red icon was gone and everything working fine. I have had that issue at all on shorter drives.

Has anyone else run into this issue in extreme cold ? Any ideas ?

2015 Model S P98D here with 60,000km, 2nd owner. I ran into this issue this morning coming off the freeway into work. Suspension stuck low, will not raise. -18C. I'm going to hope this clears up on it's own.

 

[Bossasurb]

With my 2017 Model X, I was at a camp in PA this November and we had snow and very low temperatures. When I woke up, the entire car was as low as can be and I had an error on the screen saying “Air suspension compressor disabled”. I couldn’t drive it too far because I have the 22” wheels and there was no suspension at all. So it was a bouncey mess. I was still 100 miles from home so I had to have the car towed to my service center. They replaced one front “AIR SPRING MODULE” and a 40A fuse for just over $1.4K.

Two weeks later, with another cold snap, this error popped up again, but went away later in the afternoon. I notified the service center and they said let’s make an appointment to get it in.

Now with the this years big winter storm (Dec 2022), we had temperatures in the single digits. When I came out of the store, the car had done it again. The entire car was as low as can be, and I had the error message again on my screen.

So with my car, there is clearly a correlation between extremely low temperatures and the air suspension not working. So I put in a service request and I’m sure they’re going to try to charge me to do more repairs. I’ll do my best to point out, in my opinion, that they should’ve caught this the first time around. At least that’s how I feel. Anyone else have similar situation?

I will try to post an update after Christmas after I get it serviced.

 

[Bossasurb]

Here is a follow up to my last post:

I pulled and replaced my 40A fuse for the air suspension compressor. For my 2017 Model X, the frunk fuse box diagram has it listed in the position of:

F154	40A Air Suspension Compressor

I took the old fuse to the local auto parts store and purchased a new one. Once I replaced it and started my car, voila, the air suspension compressor fired up and began to raise the car again.

So I purchased a couple extra fuses to keep in the glove box just in case this happens again. But I still plan on taking the car into the service center to see if there is another issue that could be related to this. For example, perhaps there is a small air leak somewhere. But I will also ask the service center if the extremely cold weather is causing the fuses to pop. My appointment is in a week. After the service center appointment I’ll try to post again.

 

[Vawlkus]

There is another issue: this is typically caused by water ingress into the compressor, which is nitrogen charged.

At the very least, the system must be purged and recharged with nitrogen. The compressor itself may also need replacement.

When this happens, the car is still safe to drive, although turns with the 22’s might need to not be taken sharply. The car will ride on its bump stops at the end of the suspension travel, so it will be a very bumpy ride.

 

[Bossasurb]

I spoke with the service technician early this week. Since the air suspension is working again, he recommended we cancel my appointment for today and keep an eye on it to see if it continues to lower or not. His thoughts for possible causes are:

1. With the cold weather sometimes the pressure in the tank decreases, causing a slight lowering of the car.
2. There may be a small leak somewhere in the system.
3. The compressor itself is worn out due to it's constant running caused by my original issue of the passenger side front Air Spring Module that was replaced due to leakage.

I have paid close attention this week, and for two days the car stayed level. But the temperature was close to 70. However today the temp dropped into the 30's and I have seen the rear of the car drop twice already. So it looks like I will have to contact the service rep and reschedule my appointment.

I will mention the water ingress issue brought up by Vawlkus. However, I still believe my issue is, at the very least, exhasorbated by the cold weather. And lastly, why is it now only the rear end of the car? Twice today, with this cold weather, just my rear end has dropped while parked. Not the front end. Strange, but I will post again next week after speaking with the service rep.

 

[Vawlkus]

If it's just the rear, that's likely a seal issue on those two shocks.

 

[Bossasurb]

If it's just the rear, that's likely a seal issue on those two shocks.

Ok, I have not made the appointment yet. I will mention that as well. Thanks. (You realize those Air Spring Module’s are $990.00 a piece. 2k to fix that is gonna put me and the car in the dog house)

 

[Vawlkus]

Ok, I have not made the appointment yet. I will mention that as well. Thanks. (You realize those Air Spring Module’s are $990.00 a piece. 2k to fix that is gonna put me and the car in the dog house)

I know. I had to replace my front two last year for torn seals.

 

[rdangerfield]

2015 Model S P98D here with 60,000km, 2nd owner. I ran into this issue this morning coming off the freeway into work. Suspension stuck low, will not raise. -18C. I'm going to hope this clears up on it's own.

FYI, it did clear up on it's own.

 

[ZzRicezZ]

Sigh, I'm having the same issue with this error, tas_a222 compressor refill fault. It comes on when it is -10c outside. Last time it came on, it went away once the car warm up inside the garage. I checked the wheel gap it haven't dropped, so doesn't look like a leaking issue?

 

[TrevTremaine]

I've previously had the issue especially if the slush on the ground gets up and around the suspension and then freezes. Once it thaws a bit it goes away - I've taken it to a car wash and if it's a long enough cycle, it immediately went away.