Main Battery Replacement

[KKlabunde]

VIN 040XX, 32k miles -- suddenly started reaching 195 instead of 225 at 90% charge last week. I notified Tesla and drove it that day. Plugged it in when I got home with 40 miles remaining and the charging AMPS steadily declined from 40 to near 0, and the car was unable to calculate a time remaining. When it did show a time remaining, it indicated that the charge was going to max out with about 60 miles on the battery. The next morning the battery was showing 0 miles and the car could not be moved.

Tesla picked it up same day (Saturday) and took it to the nearest service center about 70 miles away. Haven't heard the diagnosis yet, but they did say on Saturday that a new battery was already in route.

Internal charge controller failed back in November and was replaced on-site at the airport while I was traveling. Amazing service! But two major failures in two years.

 

[jive_devil]

VIN - 09XXX.

I and Tesla were closely monitoring my car for another reason, and they detected an anomaly in my pack sensor, so they had me come in for a complete replacement. It was easy and convenient. There were no battery pack issues detectable by me prior to getting the call. They told me the sensor would be replaced and my old pack would be put back into service as a refurb.

I didn't read the entire thread, but I might be the first 60 to have the pack replacement . . .

 

[islandbayy]

VIN - 09XXX.

I and Tesla were closely monitoring my car for another reason, and they detected an anomaly in my pack sensor, so they had me come in for a complete replacement. It was easy and convenient. There were no battery pack issues detectable by me prior to getting the call. They told me the sensor would be replaced and my old pack would be put back into service as a refurb.

I didn't read the entire thread, but I might be the first 60 to have the pack replacement . . .

Had mine replaced in July.

 

[apacheguy]

VIN 040XX, 32k miles -- suddenly started reaching 195 instead of 225 at 90% charge last week. I notified Tesla and drove it that day. Plugged it in when I got home with 40 miles remaining and the charging AMPS steadily declined from 40 to near 0, and the car was unable to calculate a time remaining. When it did show a time remaining, it indicated that the charge was going to max out with about 60 miles on the battery. The next morning the battery was showing 0 miles and the car could not be moved.

AFAIK, yours is the first of its kind that has been reported. I don't recall any other Model S losing capacity so quickly that it become undriveable essentially overnight. Would love to know the physical explanation behind your experience.

 

[KKlabunde]

They are bringing the car back to me today with a new (reman) battery. I'll ask more questions when they arrive, but so far they haven't divulged much other than they believe there was some electronic/circuitry failure inside the high voltage battery pack.

I babied that battery -- it was range charged only twice in it's life, and I always maintained the charge state at only the miles I needed the following day +40. Most charges were to the 50% SOC level. Typically charged it at home with only a 5A draw, and at the Tesla store chargers by my office pulling 40A. I also drive it conservatively, with lifetime wh/mile below 300. So abuse and overheating are not at play here.

 

[scaesare]

So abuse and overheating are not at play here.

And even if you had not been so gentle with your pack, I don't think there's anything within reason[1] that can cause the cells within the pack to degrade that fast. it is almost assuredly a component failure of some sort.

[1] No parking on active lava flows, leaving it parked over a weekend in Antarctica, etc...

 

[KKlabunde]

Tesla said something about the contactors in the battery failing. They encouraged me to exercise the full range of battery capacity a little more regularly (ie. don't always charge to 50% SOC).

 

[apacheguy]

Don't see how the charge limit would have any bearing on the function of the battery contactors. Furthermore, many folks have had their contactors blow and still shown range left on the pack. It's odd that it dropped down to 0 in your case.

 

[scaesare]

I originally thought the same, apacheguy, but upon rereading I suspect they were separate statements...

 

[stevezzzz]

Do the data still support the theory that the early A packs are failing at a higher rate than later (B, C, D) packs? Last week I encountered the 'dreaded clunk' and a sudden loss of all motive power, along with a host of warnings and audible alarms. After a great service experience with the Denver SC my Sig S (VIN00118, 33K miles) received a refurbed A pack.

I'll post the full story in a separate thread.

 

[apacheguy]

@steve - Well, including your recent failure, this puts the failure rate at greater than 1 in 77 for the first 1,000 US Sigs. I say greater than because not every Sig is an active member on the forum, some that are active members don't post pack failures, and I haven't necessarily catalogued every possible failure of the ones posted in all the various threads, etc.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

@steve - Well, including your recent failure, this puts the failure rate at greater than 1 in 77 for the first 1,000 US Sigs. I say greater than because not every Sig is an active member on the forum, some that are active members don't post pack failures, and I haven't necessarily catalogued every possible failure of the ones posted in all the various threads, etc.

my non sig was mixed in as one of the first 1000 US cars (was told it was the first grey w/ grey 21"s they had seen) . A pack replaced w/ reman B pack

 

[stevezzzz]

I guess they've seen a steady stream of failed A packs returned to the factory, to be analyzed and refurbished. Sure wish I'd won the pack alphabet lottery, though!

 

[huntjo]

Mine hasn't clunked yet. Am I not driving fast enough?

Sweet. 500 posts!

 

[stevezzzz]

Clearly not, huntjo! :biggrin:

Though the incentive for A pack owners to 'drive it like you stole it' has diminished greatly since Tesla made it policy to replace failed packs like-with-like. Where owners with early pack failures were often rewarded with an up-rev pack, now Tesla corporate policy is to replace failed A packs with a refurbed A pack. As it was explained to me, the only time they'll make an exception is when there are no A packs to be had in close enough proximity to the service center doing the pack swap: even then it takes special dispensation from corporate to use an up-rev pack as a replacement.

 

[theheff]

You can add me to the list. I had mine replaced in August on my P85. Received a brand new D pack, fortunately.

Same scenario as Islandbayy, where I just immediately lost all power.

 

[reasonabletim]

I just had my main battery pack replaced too. Got the car in August 2013 so it isn't part of the super early group. VIN is 036XX, and I had a B pack.

I didn't get the warning messages either. Just one night, it refused to charge. I got replaced earlier this week with another B pack.

Before the failure, full charge was 199 miles so there did seem to be some premature degradation, but not too huge.

 

[stephenpace]

Add Sig 219 to the HV battery replacement list, around ~17k. Clunk under acceleration and alarm bells. Got an immediate replacement (what appears to be) A pack. If you verify it by looking behind the front passenger wheel, if you get something other than an A replacement, does the sticker always show?

 

[apacheguy]

Add Sig 219 to the HV battery replacement list, around ~17k. Clunk under acceleration and alarm bells. Got an immediate replacement (what appears to be) A pack. If you verify it by looking behind the front passenger wheel, if you get something other than an A replacement, does the sticker always show?

Huh, that's weird. I can't edit my OP any longer. Anyway, I've created a (poorly formatted at this point) wiki in order to add you to my list:

Main Battery Replacement - Tesla Motors Club - Enthusiasts & Owners Forum

To answer your question, yes, I believe early Sigs who received B or D packs had corresponding stickers under the wheel well. Sorry that you got stuck with an A.

 

[david]

Had a main pack failure ~25k in September 2014, vin P13102, 18 months old, not an A pack (can't remember exactly which one it was though). A friend was driving so I don't know the exact details, but shutdown occured a minute or two after warnings appeared. Never had any degredation or issues with the battery before the failure (always got 265-266 on range charge). Was replaced with a D pack. I wonder if they keep the same serial numbers on a refurbished pack as when it was in the original car.