Model S Plaid -- Battery Failure -- Day 1

[markjayhawk]

Sorry about the other members. Elons cult is strong, and dissent is never tolerated. FYI similiar issues on my Performance M3. Was put in a loaner and replacement took 3 weeks. However with this being a plaid, i couldn't even guess at the lead time for replacement. Sucks it happened.

Thanks. Current estimate is that battery could arrive Sept 13th (which would be 3 weeks from drop off). Feels very squishy though and Service Center still doesn't have a firm date.

One interesting side note, my loaner a white 2017 S 75 actually has gotten a lot of positive comments. Never thought white was so popular. Not bad for the base S from 2017. The premium interior in my 2017 100D is a big upgrade over the base interior in the loaner.

However, I'm way past over the Chill mode and 85 mph speed limit which is border line dangerous when trying to maneuver on a 75 mph Interstate.

 

[markjayhawk]

Not the updated I was hoping to post today. Car remains at Tesla Kansas City. HV pack arrived on Wednesday and they planned to have it complete and back to me on Thursday. Then it would be by Friday at 4pm. This afternoon they indicated that it would be ready for pickup as soon as the firmware update was complete which might be 4:30 - 5pm. They then sent a message that they were having trouble with the firmware and they "hoped" to have it resolved on Monday. I asked for a call from the service advisor (who really seems like a great guy) and he did call. He indicated they have been on the phone with Tesla all day trying to figure out why the firmware was not updating correctly. Said something along the line that the firmware update is "failing at every stage" Said he couldn't promise Monday ... and basically reading between the line ... they don't know what the problem is.

Three weeks into this and getting more than a little frustrated. I miss the days when you could escalate concerns into Tesla HQ for help. Now its hard to get a human on the phone at all.

 

[Marcust99]

Man oh man that sucks. I hope they gave you a decent loaner for all your trouble with a brand new 150k car!

 

[rickyjb]

Not the updated I was hoping to post today. Car remains at Tesla Kansas City. HV pack arrived on Wednesday and they planned to have it complete and back to me on Thursday. Then it would be by Friday at 4pm. This afternoon they indicated that it would be ready for pickup as soon as the firmware update was complete which might be 4:30 - 5pm. They then sent a message that they were having trouble with the firmware and they "hoped" to have it resolved on Monday. I asked for a call from the service advisor (who really seems like a great guy) and he did call. He indicated they have been on the phone with Tesla all day trying to figure out why the firmware was not updating correctly. Said something along the line that the firmware update is "failing at every stage" Said he couldn't promise Monday ... and basically reading between the line ... they don't know what the problem is.

Three weeks into this and getting more than a little frustrated. I miss the days when you could escalate concerns into Tesla HQ for help. Now its hard to get a human on the phone at all.

Sorry to hear about the issues , have they at least made it clear if you are receiving a new battery or a remanufactured one ? Also how this will affect your warranty going forward .

 

[bhzmark]

I thought it was reasonable to be sceptical — such reasonable scepticism was quickly allayed with polite and comprehensive documentation.

Both parties were reasonable. Trying to make an issue of it is not.

But especially what a bummer to be looking forward to new car and have to drive a loaner for a while.

Good luck for a speedy recovery.

 

[markjayhawk]

I was notified this afternoon that my Plaid was ready for pickup three weeks after drop off. But, immediately after receiving the notification, I received notification of an appt for next week. I asked if that was for some kind of follow-up check out and was informed that there was a problem with one of the Ultrasonic sensors on the rear of the car. Was told if the appt didn't work I could move it etc. Didn't sound like a big deal.

When I arrived, I asked the service advisor if this was a common issue with the sensor ... nope ... as expected given my recent luck. I've had three other Tesla's without a single problem with sensors or cameras. Yet, somehow while replacing a HV battery on a car with 141 miles (they also replaced the 12V for some reason), an Ultrasonic sensor(s) fails and it is not something they can't get fixed before returning the car back to me after 3 weeks!

Inconvenient and a pain to have to go back ... but I wanted my car back and figured it was a minor issue. I didn't realize it was going to knock out Autopilot lane change functionality and ALL the Ultrasonic sensors. Kicking out of Autopilot to change lanes and then going back into Autopilot is far from ideal since I use Autopilot all the time. And there is a learning curve in the Plaid with lane changes with the Yoke.

Final issue with today and something down the road Tesla will have to figure out assuming the competition will eventually get their vehicles to the level which make this kind of service untenable. After three weeks of sitting outside on their lot, car was covered in dust and bird *sugar*. I get it Tesla doesn't wash cars in for service (but how many cars do they have for weeks ... hopefully not many or with 141 miles), but you would think knowing that they were returning a now just partially broken car that had been in on their lot for 3 weeks, you might ... just might clean the dirt and bird *sugar* off the car as gesture of goodwill if nothing else.

Still crazy fast ... but hard to get to jazzed about it when car is still not fully functional and you are looking up the state Lemon law. I really hope it doesn't come to that, but it just doesn't feel like this is over by any stretch unfortunately

Repairs made on this visit:

HV Battery Replaced (New battery ... said there are no refurbished ones for Plaid yet)
12V Battery Replaced
Damaged wood around center console replaced
Driver's side reading light repaired
Provided missing rear cargo cover

 

[Skotty]

Tesla Kansas City has had the car since Monday and confirmed HV battery replacement is required. They told me it will likely be weeks to get it replaced. They also told me that I've had the last two battery failures in their service center (2017 S 100D and the Plaid)...that is luck

Emiller, I've found at least two other battery failures with the Plaid. The other two were also brand new and then there was battery fire which made news.

They gave me a 2017 S 75 as a loaner. This is probably the 5th loaner I've had from Tesla and the first time they ever had Chill Mode and an 85 mph speed limit set...torture. The ~200 mile range in a 4 year old 75 really makes me appreciate how far Tesla has come on range.

I got a loaner from KC Tesla Service recently and it was dog slow. It was rather shocking and amazing to be in such a slow Tesla. I didn't know they could set up to be that slow. Kind of makes you miss the earlier days when sometimes you would get the top performance model as a loaner.

 

[hotsoup]

Jeez, sorry to hear about your issues. It seems like a lot of Plaids on these forums have run into battery-related issues. Does anyone know if the Plaid and Long Range battery packs are the same or not?

 

[Emiller]

I was notified this afternoon that my Plaid was ready for pickup three weeks after drop off. But, immediately after receiving the notification, I received notification of an appt for next week. I asked if that was for some kind of follow-up check out and was informed that there was a problem with one of the Ultrasonic sensors on the rear of the car. Was told if the appt didn't work I could move it etc. Didn't sound like a big deal.

When I arrived, I asked the service advisor if this was a common issue with the sensor ... nope ... as expected given my recent luck. I've had three other Tesla's without a single problem with sensors or cameras. Yet, somehow while replacing a HV battery on a car with 141 miles (they also replaced the 12V for some reason), an Ultrasonic sensor(s) fails and it is not something they can't get fixed before returning the car back to me after 3 weeks!

Inconvenient and a pain to have to go back ... but I wanted my car back and figured it was a minor issue. I didn't realize it was going to knock out Autopilot lane change functionality and ALL the Ultrasonic sensors. Kicking out of Autopilot to change lanes and then going back into Autopilot is far from ideal since I use Autopilot all the time. And there is a learning curve in the Plaid with lane changes with the Yoke.

Final issue with today and something down the road Tesla will have to figure out assuming the competition will eventually get their vehicles to the level which make this kind of service untenable. After three weeks of sitting outside on their lot, car was covered in dust and bird *sugar*. I get it Tesla doesn't wash cars in for service (but how many cars do they have for weeks ... hopefully not many or with 141 miles), but you would think knowing that they were returning a now just partially broken car that had been in on their lot for 3 weeks, you might ... just might clean the dirt and bird *sugar* off the car as gesture of goodwill if nothing else.

Still crazy fast ... but hard to get to jazzed about it when car is still not fully functional and you are looking up the state Lemon law. I really hope it doesn't come to that, but it just doesn't feel like this is over by any stretch unfortunately

Repairs made on this visit:

HV Battery Replaced (New battery ... said there are no refurbished ones for Plaid yet)
12V Battery Replaced
Damaged wood around center console replaced
Driver's side reading light repaired
Provided missing rear cargo cover

A couple of things, first off there is no 12v battery on the car, its a 16v and its attached to the HV battery which is why it was replaced. The sensor is probably something they picked up in testing the car after installing the new battery. When I got my car back after the HV battery change I had to follow up to have a repeater camera fixed and the center console slider. Frustrating perhaps but really not a big deal.

Keep in mind the battery is 16v if you ever want to add anything after market, that may be too much voltage for some electronics.

 

[Wolfsbane]

When I arrived, I asked the service advisor if this was a common issue with the sensor ... nope ... as expected given my recent luck.

After owning three Teslas and countless visits to my local service center, I’ve learned that the techs ALWAYS say whatever problem you’re having is uncommon and build quality has never been better. They stick to the script pretty admirably.

 

[Battpower]

A couple of things, first off there is no 12v battery on the car, its a 16v and its attached to the HV battery which is why it was replaced. The sensor is probably something they picked up in testing the car after installing the new battery. When I got my car back after the HV battery change I had to follow up to have a repeater camera fixed and the center console slider. Frustrating perhaps but really not a big deal.

Keep in mind the battery is 16v if you ever want to add anything after market, that may be too much voltage for some electronics.

Tesla is using a new 12V Lithium-ion battery in the Model S Plaid

Among the many changes that Tesla implemented in the new Model S Plaid, a new, 12-volt lithium-ion battery is one of the most subtle yet significant improvements the company made to its flagship sedan. The new 12V li-ion battery replaces the conventional lead-acid battery that has been...

www.teslarati.com

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