Model 3 Rear Ended

[silentsnow31802]

So I may have lost my Model 3 to what I assume was a distracted drive a couple days ago. I was stopped waiting for traffic to enter a parking lot when a guy came up behind me and rear ended me.

No airbags but the seat belt pretensioners fired and did a fantastic job of keeping me in the seat. I would also like to mention that the glove box opened on its own after the accident, which was nice to see. All in all the car performed very well and I came out without any injuries. Only issue was a slight pain for a couple hours from the seat belt tension and I was a little light headed for the rest of the day. I was checked by a doctor and did not have a concussion.

The car disabled itself and would not move after the impact. I suspect some wiring was cut in the rear. Since the HV system was disabled about a day later or so it seems the 12V system is no longer working as I cannot connect through the app, which was expected.

 

[Saghost]

Ouch. Glad the car kept you safe.

The glovebox was a programmed response Tesla added after an accident a few months ago that shattered the touchscreen and left the owners struggling to get in - seems to have worked correctly.

Yeah, Teslas use a lot of 12V power under normal conditions - possibly even more after a crash if doors don't close to let things turn off, etc. The 12Vs are on the smaller side, so when it loses the backing of the HV, I'm not surprised it ran out fairly quickly.

 

[JeffK]

That sucks! Glad you're ok and having the rear camera was a great idea.

 

[gene]

I am sorry to hear this. I love my 3 so much that a few days ago I reserved another one just in case something like this happens and my 3 is totaled. I hope I never have to use that reservation but I am hoping it keeps me closer to the front of the line. It would be nice if Tesla would bump 3 owners to the front of the line in cases where they lose their car such as yours.

 

[firelegend]

how do you have that footage? thats insane! I am SOOO sorry thats awful

 

[TaoJones]

Well, that blows. Excellent footage. Do get checked by the best orthopaedist you can find in about 2-3 weeks. It can take that long for soft tissue injuries to become noticeable and lemme tell ya, it ain't fun as it can take a year or more to get back to some semblance of normalcy.

 

[mhan00]

80+ percent chance he was texting. 10 percent chance he was browsing the web or looking for a contact to call, 5 percent chance he was playing Pokémon go, and 5 percent for misc. glad you’re okay, get yourself checked out by a doc.

 

[navinsiri]

The HV battery automatically disconnects itself in a collision that causes something to fire whether it be a seatbelt pretentioner or the airbags.

Hopefully you’ll be able to get back into a 3 quickly whether they repair it or you get a new one. Glad you’re safe!

 

[silentsnow31802]

Ouch. Glad the car kept you safe.

The glovebox was a programmed response Tesla added after an accident a few months ago that shattered the touchscreen and left the owners struggling to get in - seems to have worked correctly.

Yeah, Teslas use a lot of 12V power under normal conditions - possibly even more after a crash if doors don't close to let things turn off, etc. The 12Vs are on the smaller side, so when it loses the backing of the HV, I'm not surprised it ran out fairly quickly.

Yes I remember reading about it. Its nice to see it in action. All of the door and even the trunk still functioned correctly. Trunk made some noises when opening but the car saw it as open or closed as it should.

That sucks! Glad you're ok and having the rear camera was a great idea.

I got the camera because I commute a lot and see a lot of people doing stupid things. Its one of those things you may never need but if you do its worth its weight in gold.

I am sorry to hear this. I love my 3 so much that a few days ago I reserved another one just in case something like this happens and my 3 is totaled. I hope I never have to use that reservation but I am hoping it keeps me closer to the front of the line. It would be nice if Tesla would bump 3 owners to the front of the line in cases where they lose their car such as yours.

I also have a second reservation that I still have luckily. Almost canceled it a few weeks back too. My plan is to get a beater until the performance one is available to me. Assuming they total out the car.

how do you have that footage? thats insane! I am SOOO sorry thats awful

Blackvue DR750S dash cam. I recommend everyone have one in their car. Never know what can happen.

Well, that blows. Excellent footage. Do get checked by the best orthopaedist you can find in about 2-3 weeks. It can take that long for soft tissue injuries to become noticeable and lemme tell ya, it ain't fun as it can take a year or more to get back to some semblance of normalcy.

I will keep an eye on things for sure. Thank you for the tip. This is the hardest hit I have been in even though its nothing compared to what I have seen. Cant imagine what the owner of the white 3 felt.

80+ percent chance he was texting. 10 percent chance he was browsing the web or looking for a contact to call, 5 percent chance he was playing Pokémon go, and 5 percent for misc. glad you’re okay, get yourself checked out by a doc.

I would assume texting also. I haven't looked that closely at the video but im not sure I can see that detail through the tint and dirty rear window.

The HV battery automatically disconnects itself in a collision that causes something to fire whether it be a seatbelt pretentioner or the airbags.

Hopefully you’ll be able to get back into a 3 quickly whether they repair it or you get a new one. Glad you’re safe!

That would make sense. Good design there. I honestly dont want this car back. I will miss my alcantara and low VIN but the damage under the bumper to the unibody is more than I would like on a new car even if repaired/replaced.

 

[ChrisH]

Ugh people like that need to be off the road. Obviously the most important thing is that you are fine but after waiting two years for the car you likely have been looking to most in your life, I would have to really hold back not to lay into the person that did that.

 

[ModelX]

Glad you are ok! Sorry about your beautiful car!

 

[jsrawa]

Unfortunate that there are so many distractions to drivers today that put innocent bystanders at risk! I'm glad to hear your doing ok, the car can always be replaced! That being said it's sad to see.

 

[Johnny Mac]

Mercy that sucks a big wang

 

[dhu1]

That would make sense. Good design there. I honestly dont want this car back. I will miss my alcantara and low VIN but the damage under the bumper to the unibody is more than I would like on a new car even if repaired/replaced.

I wouldn’t assume it is totaled. See my experience

Model 3 rear ended

From the exterior photo, it looks slightly worse than when my mine was rear ended. There actually isn’t much behind the bumper that isn’t easily fixable...just the floor pan and trunk— no real electronics. The only thing different between yours and my experience is your 12v cutout, which I assume can be reconnected. The total repair cost on mine was $8k, so I doubt they would total the car even if your cost came up to $10-12k. Either ways, glad you weren’t hurt and best of luck getting it fixed. I got mine fixed in san rafael if you need a body shop.

By the way, most body shops will disable the HV system once they are in possession just to prevent any shock issues when looking at the repair. So again, wouldn’t assume that is due to the system not working, more likely than not a precautionary measure.

 

[souslik]

The car that hit you is one weird looking Tesla. I'd almost say it's not a Tesla but as we all know from reading news, only a Tesla will hit stationary objects.

 

[PhilDavid]

Sorry to hear about the accident but glad that you are okay.

If I were you, I would tell the other driver's insurance company that you don't want the car back with major accident damage fixed. With that damage, your car is now worth less and we are likely looking at about $5-10K in diminished value.

Tell them the car is now theirs and they owe you a brand new car with no accident damage.

If the insurance company drags their feet, get a lawyer and if you have the slightest bit of back pain, convey that to the lawyer. Make them pay so that the insurance company will then get that back from the driver who clearly was not paying attention.

 

[snakeopus121]

That's all it takes to total the car?

 

[silentsnow31802]

I wouldn’t assume it is totaled. See my experience

Model 3 rear ended

From the exterior photo, it looks slightly worse than when my mine was rear ended. There actually isn’t much behind the bumper that isn’t easily fixable...just the floor pan and trunk— no real electronics. The only thing different between yours and my experience is your 12v cutout, which I assume can be reconnected. The total repair cost on mine was $8k, so I doubt they would total the car even if your cost came up to $10-12k. Either ways, glad you weren’t hurt and best of luck getting it fixed. I got mine fixed in san rafael if you need a body shop.

By the way, most body shops will disable the HV system once they are in possession just to prevent any shock issues when looking at the repair. So again, wouldn’t assume that is due to the system not working, more likely than not a precautionary measure.

What did your car look like under the bumper? Mine has a hole in it... I can see the ground from inside of the trunk. There is also a dent above the rear wheel on the quarter panel from the back of the car being pushed forward into itself. Also the picture of the trunk seal, the seal is creased, the seal is still properly installed onto the metal. Its not the seal that is creased, its the trunk opening.

The 12V did not cut out. The HV did but the 12V did a day later due to not being topped up by the HV system.

I do not want the car back after the damage done. If it was just the bumper and the trunk lid then sure but the unibody structure underneath has been damaged.

 

[silentsnow31802]

That's all it takes to total the car?

I have not been told yet if it will be totaled or not. This happened Thursday.

 

[ProphetM]

That's all it takes to total the car?

Cars are very squishable now. They make them squishable on purpose, so that the car squishes instead of you.