Here we go again... Model 3 wont power up

[K-MTG]

I got the car needs service notice on the car...Tesla Support actually called me earlier today because I had an issue (occurred twice) with a black display when entering the car (though the screen was still responsive)...rebooting resolved this issue.

I told them I also have a contact service notice and they told me that the 12V battery is low. I scheduled my appointment for the end of March (as I am super busy). Hopefully I am not risking anything...I got the car back from service two weeks ago.

Anyone else get this message?

 

[K-MTG]

I hope my dashcam isn't blamed to be the cause....if they do...I will reference this thread lol.

 

[DrLegoHair]

View attachment 286301

I got the car needs service notice on the car...Tesla Support actually called me earlier today because I had an issue (occurred twice) with a black display when entering the car (though the screen was still responsive)...rebooting resolved this issue.

I told them I also have a contact service notice and they told me that the 12V battery is low. I scheduled my appointment for the end of March (as I am super busy). Hopefully I am not risking anything...I got the car back from service two weeks ago.

Anyone else get this message?

Just as a point of reference: I got this message the first time around, about 90 minutes before the car became totally unresponsive.

The second time I never saw the message, but Tesla roadside said the 12V low warning came through about an hour before my car sent it’s last log with the 12V battery measuring only 8 volts and then it completely died.

My situation seems unique though, so I hope yours lasts longer!

 

[T-Will]

Sounds like my 2013 Honda CRV which is on its 4th battery in its short 5 year life.

I wish someone would figure out a way to make the 12 volt battery more reliable, or get rid of it completely like Elon has proposed.

 

[vinnie97]

My 12V Prius c battery is on year 6, probably borrowed time. :x

 

[ChrisH]

Yeah my 2008 lancer has its battery replaced for the first time in 2017

 

[pazdan]

when did you receive your 3? wondering how early of a vin it is, I haven't seen any issues like this, knock on wood. You might be able to complain regarding lemon laws if you get a few more service visits under your belt.

 

[Moderatefan]

I hope my dashcam isn't blamed to be the cause....if they do...I will reference this thread lol.

So, not only your dashcam is replacing video feed from the screen, but is also discharging the 12V at the rate HV battery can't sustain? You should totally blame those contractors who installed the dashcam.

 

[DrLegoHair]

when did you receive your 3? wondering how early of a vin it is, I haven't seen any issues like this, knock on wood. You might be able to complain regarding lemon laws if you get a few more service visits under your belt.

Vin is 50xx. Already within the lemon law period. But I want to give them a bit more time to make it right before I go nuclear! I’ve been assured it won’t come to that (hopefully).

 

[Terran]

View attachment 286301

I got the car needs service notice on the car...Tesla Support actually called me earlier today because I had an issue (occurred twice) with a black display when entering the car (though the screen was still responsive)...rebooting resolved this issue.

I told them I also have a contact service notice and they told me that the 12V battery is low. I scheduled my appointment for the end of March (as I am super busy). Hopefully I am not risking anything...I got the car back from service two weeks ago.

Anyone else get this message?

I received the Car Needs Service yesterday, rebooted and the message remains. I also have a BlackVue Dashcam connected directly to the battery. My appointment with Costa Mesa SC is also at the end of March.

 

[mongo]

So, not only your dashcam is replacing video feed from the screen, but is also discharging the 12V at the rate HV battery can't sustain? You should totally blame those contractors who installed the dashcam.

Based on the information that the 3 does not a classical fuse box, it likely has smart-FET style circuit control/ current limit. Part of the feature set is feedback on circuit current flow. The addition of a dash cam would increase the load on the attached circuit and could annoy the supervisory software causing it to register a fault and disable that power feed.

So not that it can't sustain the 12V load, but rather that is sees the additional load (4.8W/ 0.4A for one camera type) and is reacting to it.
Hypothetically.

 

[MP3Mike]

Based on the information that the 3 does not a classical fuse box, it likely has smart-FET style circuit control/ current limit. Part of the feature set is feedback on circuit current flow. The addition of a dash cam would increase the load on the attached circuit and could annoy the supervisory software causing it to register a fault and disable that power feed.

So not that it can't sustain the 12V load, but rather that is sees the additional load and is reacting to it.
Hypothetically.

Or maybe the problem is that because they are attaching directly to the battery the current monitoring system isn't detecting any draw so it doesn't understand why the battery is getting drained and it throws a fault.

 

[Don TLR]

You know once they sort it out you'll get some free service or something good plus knowing how fun a P90D is while your car sits with low miles..

 

[insaneoctane]

Doesn't seem very forward looking / anticipatory if you can't tap any add-on devices to the battery (because there is no fuse box) without throwing an error code.....will be interesting to see how this all sorts out!

 

[mongo]

Doesn't seem very forward looking / anticipatory if you can't tap any add-on devices to the battery (because there is no fuse box) without throwing an error code.....will be interesting to see how this all sorts out!

This is not the typical big battery and 120 Amp alternator setup. On a system with a fixed power budget, how much do you think they should have planned on for user accessories?
There is old school 12V port. That plus a diode/resistor can charge a gel or SLA to power anything you want while the car is off.

 

[DrLegoHair]

I just don't even know what to do anymore:

My SC, despite their best efforts, can not find the root cause of the issue. They are starting to talk about just giving the car back. How can I take a car back that has left me stranded twice without knowing what happened? They say there are a few more places to look, but it doesn't seem like they expect to find anything.

Tomorrow is 23 days in service and 30 days since I took delivery.

I'm starting to think about filing the lemon law paperwork with the state. Is there any disadvantage to this? What if they end up fixing the car and I get it back - will I be killing my resale value if my VIN is in some lemon law database?

I really love the 3 and want the car.

What would you do? I'm so burned out by this situation.

 

[C141medic]

I just don't even know what to do anymore:

My SC, despite their best efforts, can not find the root cause of the issue. They are starting to talk about just giving the car back. How can I take a car back that has left me stranded twice without knowing what happened? They say there are a few more places to look, but it doesn't seem like they expect to find anything.

Tomorrow is 23 days in service and 30 days since I took delivery.

I'm starting to think about filing the lemon law paperwork with the state. Is there any disadvantage to this? What if they end up fixing the car and I get it back - will I be killing my resale value if my VIN is in some lemon law database?

I really love the 3 and want the car.

What would you do? I'm so burned out by this situation.

If they want to give you the car back, inform them that you intend to file under the lemon law. I had a new Hyundai SantaFe some years ago that I had to file under the lemon law. The dealership was not able to resolve the issue 3 times and I settled for a cash payment (issue was not serious enough for them to buy the car back). There’s no lemon law database to my knowledge. It will not appear in a carfax check (not sure if they buy the vehicle back though). Lemon laws vary amongst states. Here is some more info:
Lemon Laws by State | DMV.ORG
Good luck, hope all works out in your favor.

 

[N5329K]

I would tell them that your money plus your time plus your disappointment almost adds up to a P90D. Or would they rather have that discussion with the state attorney general?
Robin

 

[mongo]

I just don't even know what to do anymore:

My SC, despite their best efforts, can not find the root cause of the issue. They are starting to talk about just giving the car back. How can I take a car back that has left me stranded twice without knowing what happened? They say there are a few more places to look, but it doesn't seem like they expect to find anything.

Tomorrow is 23 days in service and 30 days since I took delivery.

I'm starting to think about filing the lemon law paperwork with the state. Is there any disadvantage to this? What if they end up fixing the car and I get it back - will I be killing my resale value if my VIN is in some lemon law database?

I really love the 3 and want the car.

What would you do? I'm so burned out by this situation.

There is something that went wrong twice without a root cause found. That is not comforting. Part of me thinks of hot tubs that trip the GFCIs a couple times after shipping due to dampness in the motors and then are fine. But hot tubs don't leave you stranded.

I don't think it is possible to both get the car back and have it titled as a lemon. If it goes the citrus route, it goes back to Tesla, then gets tagged before they can sell it again.

My feel would be a replacement 3.

 

[DrLegoHair]

If they want to give you the car back, inform them that you intend to file under the lemon law. I had a new Hyundai SantaFe some years ago that I had to file under the lemon law. The dealership was not able to resolve the issue 3 times and I settled for a cash payment (issue was not serious enough for them to buy the car back). There’s no lemon law database to my knowledge. It will not appear in a carfax check (not sure if they buy the vehicle back though). Lemon laws vary amongst states. Here is some more info:
Lemon Laws by State | DMV.ORG
Good luck, hope all works out in your favor.

Yeah, I found a database for buy backs but not initial claims. My claim would fall under the 30 days in service clause but in my state I need to give them written notice after 15 (or more) days in service and then give them another 15 days to fix the issue. So I kind of need to decide now if I want the clock to start ticking.