Main Battery and 12V battery failure in the middle of the intersection.

[cleanser]

So I was driving my model S home on Friday evening with plenty of range left. I get to the intersection and right before I get there I hear a lound thump from the rear end and the service lights come on.
12V battery failure and call tesla service.
The car stopped right in the middle of the intersection. Luckily it was only 3 way stop and light traffic. I would hate to have had this happen on the freeway. The car had to be loaded on a flatbed and taken to the service center in fremont. Saturday Morning arrives and I get a call saying that the main battery had failed and needs to be replaced with a refurbished pack and i'm driving a loaner this week.

Anyone else experience major failures like this? Kind of scary for the car to stop mid driving.

Signature P85 with ~21k miles

 

[NigelM]

Well that doesn't sound like fun. I'm kinda curious that "refurbished" battery packs exist....where did they come from?

 

[texex91]

Well that doesn't sound like fun. I'm kinda curious that "refurbished" battery packs exist....where did they come from?

No doubt--'refurbished'. No, I'd tell them a brand new one will be just fine.

 

[Chris]

My main battery was also replaced with a refurbished pack. My service light came on as well but I was able to drive to the nearest service center without a problem. Was told there was an impedance problem within the battery. Happened at 8000 miles. P85.

Refurbished they claim refers to the battery housing not the cells. Those are said to be new.

 

[FlasherZ]

Depends upon your definition of refurbished. An existing frame with 7,104 brand new cells would be just fine for me, as long as it had the same warranty.

 

[stopcrazypp]

In typical lingo, a "refurbished" battery pack usually means new cells, but reused non-cell components (shell, interconnects, micro-controllers, etc). Used cells are typically not used because you can't ensure the condition of them (your original warranty is still in effect) and mixing and matching new and used cells will cause balance issues.

But given the Tesla pack is made up of modules, if your problem turns out to be a module failure, it may be possible for them to replace a module rather than the whole pack (as was the case with the Roadster). And if their repair procedure is to swap out the pack completely (so owner gets their car back quicker) and repair the pack later, there may be "refurbished" packs that are this way.

 

[strider]

Here's your thread:
Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues

We had the inverter go out while my wife was driving the car. Luckily it was just as she was leaving the neighborhood and she was able to coast into the next residential street and come to a stop well off the main road. Car had to be towed. Would have royally sucked if it had happened on the freeway or in an intersection like it did for you. I'm impressed you are as calm as you are.

 

[Doug_G]

Not a good thing. But then again, how many of us have never had an ICE car die on us? I sure have, more than once, and including a brand-new vehicle. (I've even had a runaway throttle!)

 

[jerry33]

Not a good thing. But then again, how many of us have never had an ICE car die on us? I sure have, more than once, and including a brand-new vehicle. (I've even had a runaway throttle!)

I've had all those too, including the new ICE vehicle.

 

[qwk]

Not a good thing. But then again, how many of us have never had an ICE car die on us? I sure have, more than once, and including a brand-new vehicle. (I've even had a runaway throttle!)

Yep, pretty common. I have pushed my ICE out of a Burger King drive through when I was a teenager. Also in my twenties, I had a car just die in a major intersection at lunchtime. Nothing new.

 

[SigS905]

Was about a half block from my client when I heard a thud after take off at an intersection. Car claimed to pull over immediately and restart car. Pulled onto side street and car came back to life. Made it to the client's and forgot about it. Saw this thread and thought it might be similar to my experience. Now I am waiting for a tow truck. Can't get the suspension to raise or lower, no gear but Park is available.

No power at all now. Even supplying 12 volts won't wake the car up.

 

[NoMoGas]

So I was driving my model S home on Friday evening with plenty of range left. I get to the intersection and right before I get there I hear a lound thump from the rear end and the service lights come on.
12V battery failure and call tesla service. Signature P85 with ~21k miles

This is the second or third one I've heard of. Could you provide a bit more detail? Weather, temp, beginning of drive end of drive etc? ANY indication prior to the failure? I'm just curious as to the common denominators and/or warning signs.

 

[cleanser]

This is the second or third one I've heard of. Could you provide a bit more detail? Weather, temp, beginning of drive end of drive etc? ANY indication prior to the failure? I'm just curious as to the common denominators and/or warning signs.

Nothing out of the ordinary, it was about 75 F outside, the only strange thing was 5 days before I did a trip from SF to LA and the Tejon ranch supercharger failed mid charge. The PGE tech that came told me that there was high voltage on the line. I barely made it to the next supercharger with about 5 miles of range left and charged there fine. The night of the failure was uneventful and the only thing strange was the loud thump from the rear end I heard right after I accelerated.

 

[cwerdna]

For those in this thread who have experienced a legitimate safety defect and not user error, I suggest you report it to NHTSA at safercar.gov. It might be better do it after the cause has been determined and the repair completed. And yes, there have been plenty of (non-Tesla) cars recalled for "stalling" or losing power.

Before some random anonymous yahoos decide to hit me again w/negative reputation points , see Right front door popped open while driving and Right front door popped open while driving - Page 2 for greater context as to why.

And to quote from my post:

FWIW, I am a Prius and Nissan fan (am interested in the Leaf, previously owned two Nissans) and I follow both Toyota and Nissan. Even I will tell folks on Priuschat and Mynissanleaf (active on both) that if they encounter a legitimate safety defect, they should report it to NHTSA.

Think about it. If enough people report legitimate safety defects, if there's found to be a defective part, manufacturing process issue, systematic issue, design flaw, etc. that could eventually cause a recall that could prevent accidents, injuries or deaths. Wouldn't that be worth it? It would HELP ALL of you Tesla owners. It might help YOU from getting into an accident, being injured or dying...

(I'm now leasing a Leaf and still have the Prius.)
And to quote another post:

I am in the airline sector of the transportation industry. We routinely report possible safety issues. It's part of our culture. Why do you think the U.S.airlines are the envy of the world for our amazing safety record? It is not considered "tattling". PD is right for reporting this discrepancy.

 

[qwk]

For those in this thread who have experienced a legitimate safety defect and not user error, I suggest you report it to NHTSA at safercar.gov. It might be better do it after the cause has been determined and the repair completed. And yes, there have been plenty of (non-Tesla) cars recalled for "stalling" or losing power.

Before some random anonymous yahoos decide to hit me again w/negative reputation points , see Right front door popped open while driving and Right front door popped open while driving - Page 2 for greater context as to why.

And to quote from my post:


(I'm now leasing a Leaf and still have the Prius.)
And to quote another post:

Reporting something like this would be nuts. If your ICE stalled because one of the many engine parts failed, you would report it because the car was unsafe?

 

[mknox]

(I've even had a runaway throttle!)

When I was 16 or 17, I thought it would be a good idea to put grease on my throttle linkage. Not such a good idea when the cold of winter comes :crying:

 

[cleanser]

Reporting something like this would be nuts. If your ICE stalled because one of the many engine parts failed, you would report it because the car was unsafe?

Well apparently I need a new drive train. I will get my car back tomorrow, and I will post when I get the car back and detail what was at fault and the work performed.

 

[qwk]

Well apparently I need a new drive train. I will get my car back tomorrow, and I will post when I get the car back and detail what was at fault and the work performed.

Probably an inverter. Tesla swaps the entire drivetrain rather than just parts.

 

[JRP3]

For those in this thread who have experienced a legitimate safety defect and not user error, I suggest you report it to NHTSA at safercar.gov.

Seems a bit over the top at this point. I'd wait until we see if a number of these failures happen.

 

[cwerdna]

Reporting something like this would be nuts. If your ICE stalled because one of the many engine parts failed, you would report it because the car was unsafe?

Nuts? Not really. I'd do so if that generation of car were still manufactured in the last 10 years or so. I don't know the US legal requirement for manufacturer's support for recall repairs.

Just Google for car recall stalling.

Seems a bit over the top at this point. I'd wait until we see if a number of these failures happen.

How many do we need to see? Who tracks those? Who outside Tesla would know the number of failures? What would be a means of letting a party outside Tesla know actual quantitative values, so that they can be tracked? Who do you think that party should be, esp. from a US regulatory point of view?

Here's an example of a probe that's begun...
Ford Focus EV stalling problem under NHTSA probe

The feds are stepping in to investigate the "Stop Safely Now" messages that a Ford Focus Electric vehicle driver reported to AutoblogGreen earlier this year. The situation is a serious one, but not widespread as Reuters reports that the NHTSA has received just 12 complaints. Not a big number considering Ford has sold 1,910 Focus EVs through August of this year, and Reuters estimates 1,000 of the EVs are included in the just-launched federal probe.

Probe doesn't always lead a recall. Sometimes, they're closed. But, sometimes they progress into a recall.