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Model X 12 Volt battery exploded

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A few days ago I received a 12 volt warning on the dash panel. Replace 12 volt battery. I thought it would recharge as it had been setting. Two short trips and warning remained. Used the app to arrange for a new battery. Schedule for three days later, good news.

Last night my wife and I head a loud boom in the garage. Went out and looked and nothing out of the ordinary but there was an unusual oder. Looked under and opened the trunk and nothing visible.

In the morning I moved the car out early as the window for service was from 0700-1100 hrs. After moving it out I noticed the battery fluid on the garage floor.

Mobile tech arrived at 0800 and relayed the story. When he got to the battery he saw the missing corner and found it laying beside the battery. He made a phone call and indicated it would have to go into service for the repair. He could not take the open battery and they wanted to check for other areas that may have been contaminated by the battery fluid. Use the app and they will come and get the car. I live in Fremont, 5 miles form the factory, a bit further to the SC.

The car has 5200 miles and a signature edition, original battery and of course out of warranty. I received a text that I would have to pay for a tow. I have AAA so great call them. After about an hour they arrived with the standard flatbed. I alerted the driver that the mobile tech had disconnected the battery and the car would not open or move. He scratched his head and said another truck would come with wheels and move the car to the SC. No other AAA truck came after 3 hrs I called AAA. The tow was cancelled. Another appointment was made and still waiting for the next one to show.

The question is why did the tech disconnect the battery so the car could not be moved or put into jack mode? Doors locked and the car will not move.
 
Might be partly why it failed abnormally as well.

Tempted to buy a spare battery to have on hand.

my 12v failed at the 1 1/2 year mark maybe around 40k miles ..after reading all the stories of folks getting stranded as soon as I saw message on IC I had it replaced under warranty immediately... i have never seen a 12V explode in an ICE let alone a Tesla so didn’t know if this was a clickbait thread to begin with ;) but hope the OP comes back with a little more info
 
my 12v failed at the 1 1/2 year mark maybe around 40k miles ..after reading all the stories of folks getting stranded as soon as I saw message on IC I had it replaced under warranty immediately... i have never seen a 12V explode in an ICE let alone a Tesla so didn’t know if this was a clickbait thread to begin with ;) but hope the OP comes back with a little more info

My guess is, it didn’t “explode” but the case of the battery simply failed, probably due to fatigue (they do expand and contract). Might have cracked first the the cell failed. Or the cell failed and didn’t behave well when it was charged and then cracked. If you Google around it does happen to ICE cars.
 
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My guess is, it didn’t “explode” but the case of the battery simply failed, probably due to fatigue (they do expand and contract). Might have cracked first the the cell failed. Or the cell failed and didn’t behave well when it was charged and then cracked. If you Google around it does happen to ICE cars.



Since there is a hole in the side of the battery and a piece of it is missing, found in the battery area I would assume with the loud Boom and the missing piece, and a puddle of electrolyte on the floor it did indeed explode.

This is a signature edition, S00814 vin and has a bit over 52k. I would love to upload a photo but it will not upload.

Problem continues with no tow yesterday. With all the advertising AAA has been doing with their saved COVID money they could not even get my car towed from about 8:30 yesterday until 5 pm when I got a call indicating they could not tow the car today. I had a earlier call that indicated they were 30 minutes out followed by the second call at 5pm.

The mobile tech's supervisor indicated the battery should be disconnected. This leaves the car completely mobile, locked, and firmly in place in my driveway. Today is another day of drama with AAA and Tesla service.
 
Since there is a hole in the side of the battery and a piece of it is missing, found in the battery area I would assume with the loud Boom and the missing piece, and a puddle of electrolyte on the floor it did indeed explode.

This is a signature edition, S00814 vin and has a bit over 52k. I would love to upload a photo but it will not upload.

Problem continues with no tow yesterday. With all the advertising AAA has been doing with their saved COVID money they could not even get my car towed from about 8:30 yesterday until 5 pm when I got a call indicating they could not tow the car today. I had a earlier call that indicated they were 30 minutes out followed by the second call at 5pm.

The mobile tech's supervisor indicated the battery should be disconnected. This leaves the car completely mobile, locked, and firmly in place in my driveway. Today is another day of drama with AAA and Tesla service.

Signature S00814 means absolutely nothing to me and probably most reading. Is that a Tesla? Is that code for an 8/14 build date? Guess only those that memorize serial numbers will know how old your battery was.
 
I finally was able to drag and drop the file, photo below. Another puzzling conundrum is why the battery vent didn't take care of the pressure. The car was moved out of the garage the day before, sat in the driveway and then back in before the explosion at about 8pm. The car had not been driven in two days before that and then only for a trip to the hardware store.
Signature S00814 means absolutely nothing to me and probably most reading. Is that a Tesla? Is that code for an 8/14 build date? Guess only those that memorize serial numbers will know how old your battery was.


Signature editions were part of the first 1000 of of the line for both the model S and X, so the low vin number indicates those, usually with all the features available options and in my case I selected the signature red color. The fist Model X's off the line were in 2016, mine delivered in August of 2016. I am a fan of Tesla's forward use of technology that usually works. I also have a model 3 and a Tesla power wall. For the most part Tesla was very approachable and were a phone call away. Not anymore. I could not talk to a service center person yesterday. They do well at texting your invoice even if they didn't do any work. To their credit the balance was $0 in this case.
 

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You know, you can wire in any old 12V battery temporarily. For long enough to get it in tow mode and up the ramp. I had my model x in tow mode from a jump, and had to have the jumping car drive along side me as the tow truck pulled the X up the ramp...
 
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I finally was able to drag and drop the file, photo below. Another puzzling conundrum is why the battery vent didn't take care of the pressure. The car was moved out of the garage the day before, sat in the driveway and then back in before the explosion at about 8pm. The car had not been driven in two days before that and then only for a trip to the hardware store.



Signature editions were part of the first 1000 of of the line for both the model S and X, so the low vin number indicates those, usually with all the features available options and in my case I selected the signature red color. The fist Model X's off the line were in 2016, mine delivered in August of 2016. I am a fan of Tesla's forward use of technology that usually works. I also have a model 3 and a Tesla power wall. For the most part Tesla was very approachable and were a phone call away. Not anymore. I could not talk to a service center person yesterday. They do well at texting your invoice even if they didn't do any work. To their credit the balance was $0 in this case.

wow! that is a big hole!.. it could have been a out gassing problem I think they are sealed batteries ( not quite like the old sulfuric acid batteries that used to vent , maybe it was trying to charge at the same time . then it found a sidewall flaw and though technically not an " explosion" still an unplanned, non standard , "rapid disassembly" - to use Spacex speak. :) . the more stories I hear about these batteries If ever see that notification I'm running directly to the SC and my family can come and pick me up ! I live 5 miles from an SC. if there are others where an SC is a long drive I think Id proactively order a spare OEM battery. does any one know if you have to do a hot swap of these things. or will your car come back from a disconnect reconnect ( maybe proactively putting it to sleep first?)
 
You know, you can wire in any old 12V battery temporarily. For long enough to get it in tow mode and up the ramp. I had my model x in tow mode from a jump, and had to have the jumping car drive along side me as the tow truck pulled the X up the ramp...

Thanks for the update. Being cautious I could have reconnected the old battery but - what would that do to the computer. Not knowing if there is a process of mating the battery to the computer once it has been disconnected was a question. Some cars require the new batteries to be updated and connected to the cars electrical system. Does Tesla do this, I didn't ask the service tech.

Drove to the service center in town and they are sending a two truck that knows how to deal with Teslas. Should have done this in the first place. There really isn't a place to call Tesla service. The app is the method of contacting them. For not under warrantee Teslas ask the cost before going with AAA as it just may be easier than dealing with a non Tesla sponsored tow service.

I did a review of the AAA service this am after they again sent a flatbed truck from 20 miles away after indicating on the AAA app what was needed. I suggested they spend of the advertising money on training of dispatchers so they can actually know what to do with EV cars.

An approved Tesla tow service just picked it up and used plastic wedges to slide the rear chassis and up on the bed of a flat bed it slid. I didn't see where the wedges were placed but were not under the tires. He tied something under the rear area prior to installing the wedges. The front wheels even on a all wheel drive rotate and was easily pulled up in place. Also noted by the tow driver is the front steering of Teslas do not lock like regular cars so the typical 4 wheels you see at times will not work under the wheels. Two pearls of wisdom gained today.
 
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A few days ago I received a 12 volt warning on the dash panel. Replace 12 volt battery. I thought it would recharge as it had been setting. Two short trips and warning remained. Used the app to arrange for a new battery. Schedule for three days later, good news.

Last night my wife and I head a loud boom in the garage. Went out and looked and nothing out of the ordinary but there was an unusual oder. Looked under and opened the trunk and nothing visible.

In the morning I moved the car out early as the window for service was from 0700-1100 hrs. After moving it out I noticed the battery fluid on the garage floor.

Mobile tech arrived at 0800 and relayed the story. When he got to the battery he saw the missing corner and found it laying beside the battery. He made a phone call and indicated it would have to go into service for the repair. He could not take the open battery and they wanted to check for other areas that may have been contaminated by the battery fluid. Use the app and they will come and get the car. I live in Fremont, 5 miles form the factory, a bit further to the SC.

The car has 5200 miles and a signature edition, original battery and of course out of warranty. I received a text that I would have to pay for a tow. I have AAA so great call them. After about an hour they arrived with the standard flatbed. I alerted the driver that the mobile tech had disconnected the battery and the car would not open or move. He scratched his head and said another truck would come with wheels and move the car to the SC. No other AAA truck came after 3 hrs I called AAA. The tow was cancelled. Another appointment was made and still waiting for the next one to show.

The question is why did the tech disconnect the battery so the car could not be moved or put into jack mode? Doors locked and the car will not move.
 

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