Driving on Sanded/Dirt Road Voids HV Battery Warranty

[ay221]

 

[GreenHokie]

I think this is the same as most car companies. They show promo pictures of the cars being used off-road or in extreme conditions, but they don't warranty for damage caused by such usage.

A related thing I think of are equipment advertised as weather or water resistant, but the warranty typically still has an exclusion for water damage.

Note the potential legal remedy however for this is not in terms of warranty coverage (it's unrelated), but rather typically damages/penalties for false advertising.

But for OP, I don't think this even applies or matters, he is saying he is just using the car on normal roads, and didn't take it off road, so he satisfied the warranty conditions.

In all seriousness, I can sort of see the manufacturer’s (Tesla’s) side in this situation. Yes, pretty much any modern day vehicle can be driven in salt treated snow, sand, dirt and muddy roads. But as a consumer, we are ultimately responsible for properly maintaining and cleaning/removing any debris which if left on the vehicle surface for extended periods can eventually cause problems. No vehicle is advertised as 100% impervious to corrosion.

Perhaps a similar analogy would be if an owner never washes his/her vehicle and experiences an accelerated fading or failure of the paint. One can reasonably conclude this to be misuse, and thus not covered by any type of warranty.

Apologies to the OP, if you did perform regular maintenance/cleanings but still had corrosion to your undercarriage. In this scenario, Tesla should definitely perform/cover the necessary repair(s) under warranty.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

Following.
FYI, the "resolutions" email will never reply to anything. it's a black hole.
Small Claims may be your best bet. $12k for a battery.
You'll have to spend the $ up front and then sue for the amount.

 

[KenC]

II have a 2018 M3 LR that went into the SC and for corroded brake lines and has now has been found to have a defective battery due to corrosion issues. Tesla is refusing to honor the warranty because they say there is dirt in the undercarriage. I explained that the underside of the car has been cleaned repeatedly and dirt is an unavoidable fact of life on roads that get sanded. They claim this is "misuse" and my less than 5 year old tesla is now totaled. I am still hoping to get a better resolution, but for now I would warn against owning a tesla if you ever drive on a dirt road, ski area parking lot, etc.

Can you ask the SC for photos; or do you have photos of these

corroded brake lines and has now has been found to have a defective battery

Brake lines can be replaced, but I'd like to know what a defective battery due to corrosion looks like, and where should I be looking, since I too have a 2018, and I live on a 1/4mile dirt road, and go skiing over 50 days a season! Not to mention, Maine is next door to NH, and they use plenty of sand and salt here.

I rotate my tires, 2x a year, so I can look at my tires/wheels for any damage, as well as to look at my pads/rotors/lines and suspension. Lube the pins. We've had an insane amount of rain this year, so everything is coated with grit, but the lines look corrosion-free. What usually annoys me, is that area where I put a red arrow. Dirt will accumulate there, behind the corrugated panel. How do people get the dirt out of that spot?

 

[dusty22]

Yes- roads are sanded and salted during the winter in New England, and many other northern states, Canada, Scandinavia, etc. You also end up driving on dirt roads from time to time. There is a lot of sand and silt that gets kicked up and trapped by the plastic sheet that covers the underside of the car. This has not been an issue on any other car I've ever known, but is a big problem for the M3, maybe other models as well. This is not made clear to tesla owners at all. I found this out the hard way. You probably have nothing to worry about in SoCal.

Edit- to be crystal clear, this car was driven in a completely normal way for any person in Northern New England- not used for off roading, farming, etc.

Since most owners living in those areas drive their cars under the same conditions, I would expect a lot of battery damage and a lot of complaints about battery corrosion. Tesla needs to do some more explaining.

 

[zoomer0056]

In all seriousness, I can sort of see the manufacturer’s (Tesla’s) side in this situation. Yes, pretty much any modern day vehicle can be driven in salt treated snow, sand, dirt and muddy roads. But as a consumer, we are ultimately responsible for properly maintaining and cleaning/removing any debris which if left on the vehicle surface for extended periods can eventually cause problems. No vehicle is advertised as 100% impervious to corrosion.

Perhaps a similar analogy would be if an owner never washes his/her vehicle and experiences an accelerated fading or failure of the paint. One can reasonably conclude this to be misuse, and thus not covered by any type of warranty.

Apologies to the OP, if you did perform regular maintenance/cleanings but still had corrosion to your undercarriage. In this scenario, Tesla should definitely perform/cover the necessary repair(s) under warranty.

This reminds me back in the day in Michigan. It was customary to get an undercoat applied to your car.

 

[David Webb]

Can you ask the SC for photos; or do you have photos of these

Brake lines can be replaced, but I'd like to know what a defective battery due to corrosion looks like, and where should I be looking, since I too have a 2018, and I live on a 1/4mile dirt road, and go skiing over 50 days a season! Not to mention, Maine is next door to NH, and they use plenty of sand and salt here.

I rotate my tires, 2x a year, so I can look at my tires/wheels for any damage, as well as to look at my pads/rotors/lines and suspension. Lube the pins. We've had an insane amount of rain this year, so everything is coated with grit, but the lines look corrosion-free. What usually annoys me, is that area where I put a red arrow. Dirt will accumulate there, behind the corrugated panel. How do people get the dirt out of that spot?
View attachment 982021

 

[android04]

Wow, that's pretty bad. Mine has nothing like that or any rust whatsoever on my battery pack that I can see.

 

[David Webb]

Can you ask the SC for photos; or do you have photos of these

Brake lines can be replaced, but I'd like to know what a defective battery due to corrosion looks like, and where should I be looking, since I too have a 2018, and I live on a 1/4mile dirt road, and go skiing over 50 days a season! Not to mention, Maine is next door to NH, and they use plenty of sand and salt here.

I rotate my tires, 2x a year, so I can look at my tires/wheels for any damage, as well as to look at my pads/rotors/lines and suspension. Lube the pins. We've had an insane amount of rain this year, so everything is coated with grit, but the lines look corrosion-free. What usually annoys me, is that area where I put a red arrow. Dirt will accumulate there, behind the corrugated panel. How do people get the dirt out of that spot?
View attachment 982021

Looks pretty good in your pics, but beware of this:

I had no idea that this dirt was accumulating and trapping salty moisture in the undercarriage, seems to be a massive design flaw.

 

[zoomer0056]

Thanks for the pics. Somebody needs to come out with an aftermarket undercarriage kit to seel out more of the dirt. In addition to some sort of undercoating. I bet Teslas aren't the only vehicles subject to this type of corrosion. Undercoat was the norm back in the day in Michigan.

 

[Chewy13]

Do you park outside or in a garage? What SC? Peabody?
I’ve got a MY, but makes me nervous to drive this winter now!

 

[RSpanner]

New Hampshire applies more salt to its roads in the winter than the majority of the country, as do most New England states. And it doesn't just disappear. Some people end up drinking it.Sep 12, 2023. Salt was first used in the United States to deice roads in New Hampshire, which began using granular sodium chloride on an experimental basis in 1938. By the winter of 1941- 1942, a total of 5,000 tons of salt was spread on highways nationwide. Between 10 and 20 million tons of salt are used today. I lived in Vermont near NH years ago. People talked about using snow rollers again..in passing. Might have been a good idea.

 

[KenC]

Wow, just wow. The battery pack didn't look all that corroded, but those brake lines and the underbody were serious.

I'm going to put my car up on the rhino ramps today, and drop the front and back under trays and take a look. I've done the front a couple times, once to tighten the front inverter nut, and once to replace the fabric undertray a year ago with a metal one, and don't remember seeing all that debris and corrosion. I've also done the rear under tray to remove all the pebbles, but not in a couple years.

 

[father_of_6]

I'm going to put my car up on the rhino ramps today, and drop the front and back under trays and take a look. I've done the front a couple times, once to tighten the front inverter nut, and once to replace the fabric undertray a year ago with a metal one, and don't remember seeing all that debris. I've also done the rear under tray to remove all the pebbles, but not in a couple years.

If you don't mind taking and posting them, it'd be great to see similar photos of yours for comparison.

 

[Flybyglass]

II have a 2018 M3 LR that went into the SC and for corroded brake lines and has now has been found to have a defective battery due to corrosion issues. Tesla is refusing to honor the warranty because they say there is dirt in the undercarriage. I explained that the underside of the car has been cleaned repeatedly and dirt is an unavoidable fact of life on roads that get sanded. They claim this is "misuse" and my less than 5 year old tesla is now totaled. I am still hoping to get a better resolution, but for now I would warn against owning a tesla if you ever drive on a dirt road, ski area parking lot, etc.

If you are in NH go to ElectrifiedGarage.com and get a second opinion.

 

[KenC]

David's pics had me insanely worried, since I'm in a very similar situation; as my 2018 lives in the next state over, and we use a lot of salt and sand on the roads as well; not to mention, I live on a dirt road, and I ski a lot!

So, I put my car on rhino ramps. I have barely any room to squeeze under, and decide to look under the front since that is where the coolant lines to the battery attach, and the reason why I bought a metal under tray to begin with.

The metal under tray looks good, except that odd "motor oil" door that is rusted. Battery looks good.

And that's the front motor with as much of the suspension showing, and power lines, and coolant lines showing as I could get. There was practically no dirt on the metal undertray.

The two half-shaft connection shrouds were all rusted, as if they were made of cast iron or something. I noticed that a few years ago, when I tightened the front inverter ground nut.

So, all in all, I'm shocked at David's corrosion, and relieved that somehow mine looks fairly normal.

Is it worth looking at the back?

 

[zoomer0056]

View attachment 982198David's pics had me insanely worried, since I'm in a very similar situation; as my 2018 lives in the next state over, and we use a lot of salt and sand on the roads as well; not to mention, I live on a dirt road, and I ski a lot!

So, I put my car on rhino ramps. I have barely any room to squeeze under, and decide to look under the front since that is where the coolant lines to the battery attach, and the reason why I bought a metal under tray to begin with.View attachment 982199
The metal under tray looks good, except that odd "motor oil" door that is rusted. Battery looks good.View attachment 982200
And that's the front motor with as much of the suspension showing, and power lines, and coolant lines showing as I could get. There was practically no dirt on the metal undertray.View attachment 982201
The two half-shaft connection shrouds were all rusted, as if they were made of cast iron or something. I noticed that a few years ago, when I tightened the front inverter ground nut.

So, all in all, I'm shocked at David's corrosion, and relieved that somehow mine looks fairly normal.

Is it worth looking at the back?

That's promising. It looks like the metal cover is much better than what the car comes with!!!

 

[KenC]

And, here's the closest comparable view I could make. Dave's on top, mine on bottom:

I realize Dave removed the little flange at the edge of the battery, which seems to have collected a lot of grit. I didn't realize that, until looking at the images later. For whatever reason, mine seems to have collected a lot less garbage.

Whatever New Hampshire is doing seems insane!

 

[KenC]

That's promising. It looks like the metal cover is much better than what the car comes with!!!

Haha, no! I don't think so. I only installed the metal cover last year, so I've driven 4yrs with the OEM fabric undertray, and only the past year have I had the metal one.

 

[father_of_6]

And, here's the closest comparable view I could make. Dave's on top, mine on bottom:View attachment 982219
I realize Dave removed the little flange at the edge of the battery, which seems to have collected a lot of grit. I didn't realize that, until looking at the images later. For whatever reason, mine seems to have collected a lot less garbage.

Whatever New Hampshire is doing seems insane!

Wow, almost makes Dave's look like a flood damage.