Model X Plaid - Rear left motor disabled - Vehicle shutting down

[amadeira]

First time poster. My 2022 Model X Plaid was parked at the restaurant parking lot Sat night (y'day). When trying to go home, I pressed the brake pedal and got this "Rear left motor disabled - OK to drive" message on the dashboard. Also a big "PULL OVER SAFELY, Vehicle shutting down" message. Car couldn't be put in D or R.

I got it towed to the SC in Santa Clara y'day night after a brief chat with Tesla roadside assistance. Tow truck came in 15min or so. Ubered home.

Very frustrating. Can't imagine if I was actually driving it on the highway what would have happened. I barely had a chance to enjoy this amazing car yet. 298 miles. Delivery was last Friday, 1/28. SC is closed today so I couldn't get a loaner yet.

My hope is that they fix it quickly but I'm afraid with three motors total, this could happen to the others too. Anyone had this experience with the new Plaid?

 

[sorka]

Those two messages seem to be contradictory. One says you're ok to drive with reduced power and the other one says the vehicle is shutting down.

It would be extremely unfortunate if the Plaid can't limp home with 2 remaining motors working. Heck even if both rear motors stopped, it can still be driven as a front wheel drive car with reduced power and reduced regen.

 

[amadeira]

Yes, I couldn't drive it at all, which was a bummer. I have yet to talk to the Service Center and asked them for an ETA and ask why I couldn't drive it home with two other motors working.

 

[UKBananas]

Wow not good. Very interested in how this turns out, thanks for keeping us in the know!

 

[amadeira]

Update: they mentioned I'd need a new drive unit inverter. They ran full diagnostics on the vehicle and only found issue with one inverter. That's all the explanation I got. They expect to return the car in the next couple of days.

 

[Richbot]

No wonder nobody has posted a 1/4 mile dragy video for a plaid X lol

Hope it's a quick fix for you

 

[sorka]

Update: they mentioned I'd need a new drive unit inverter. They ran full diagnostics on the vehicle and only found issue with one inverter. That's all the explanation I got. They expect to return the car in the next couple of days.

Any explanation as to why the limp mode message at the bottom said you could drive but the top message said you couldn't?

If the car is going to shutdown on ANY motor failure, the Plaid now has a 50% higher chance of leaving you stranded assuming each motor is the same reliability as the dual motor version.

 

[amadeira]

No explanation yet on why I couldn't limp. I will try to get better answers when I pick up the car this Friday.

 

[amadeira]

@sorka: Folks at SC sent me a msg saying: "Safety precaution. Vehicle won't drive if it detects a failure associated with a major component."

 

[sorka]

@sorka: Folks at SC sent me a msg saying: "Safety precaution. Vehicle won't drive if it detects a failure associated with a major component."

So basically the message at the bottom of the display is wrong and Plaids have a 50% higher chance of leaving you stranded since there are 50% more motors. And they think it's a safety issue to allow limp mode with the front motor only? Did you ask them why it said "ok to drive"?

 

[Thenar]

First time poster. My 2022 Model X Plaid was parked at the restaurant parking lot Sat night (y'day). When trying to go home, I pressed the brake pedal and got this "Rear left motor disabled - OK to drive" message on the dashboard. Also a big "PULL OVER SAFELY, Vehicle shutting down" message. Car couldn't be put in D or R.

I got it towed to the SC in Santa Clara y'day night after a brief chat with Tesla roadside assistance. Tow truck came in 15min or so. Ubered home.

Very frustrating. Can't imagine if I was actually driving it on the highway what would have happened. I barely had a chance to enjoy this amazing car yet. 298 miles. Delivery was last Friday, 1/28. SC is closed today so I couldn't get a loaner yet.

My hope is that they fix it quickly but I'm afraid with three motors total, this could happen to the others too. Anyone had this experience with the new Plaid?

View attachment 765599

We can certainly imagine how you feel. My 2021 Tesla S was driving down the highway in auto-drive, when I got the same pull over safely red screaming warning came up. It said my front-drive unit was disabled. And that it was shutting down. I pulled of the Highway but not far enough too bad...It stopped and would not start again. We were stranded for hours in the cold outside the cat because trucks were flying by inches from the car. Tesla sent a flatbed truck and hauled my car to Seattle where in 3 working days and one weekend that have not figured out what happened, I have less than 5000 miles on my car!

 

[DE_SF]

Update: they mentioned I'd need a new drive unit inverter. They ran full diagnostics on the vehicle and only found issue with one inverter. That's all the explanation I got. They expect to return the car in the next couple of days.

Hi amadeira… Any news? I had the EXACT same sequence of events with my MX Plaid (760 miles) a few days after you (but message was for the right rear motor).

The SC in SF says either motor or inverter and parts are “on their way”.

 

[amadeira]

Sorry to hear your experience @Thenar. How is your car driving now? No new problems after that?

@DE_SF: not yet. I was supposed to pick the car last Friday; but they changed it to today (Tue).

@sorka: Hopefully I get to pick it up today indeed and get more clarification on what happened. I am afraid that the same problem happens to the right rear motor next while I'm on a trip faraway from home.

 

[amadeira]

Update: got my car y'day evening. Didn't get much more information from the SC folks unfortunately. All I got was that the inverter for the rear small drive unit had to be replaced. I did ask if this is a common problem with these new vehicles and he denied. He said that it is the first refreshed Model X Plaid he has seen in the shop (SC at Sunnyvale, CA) for any problem. That's a tiny bit reassuring.

Part number below.

 

[sorka]

He said that it is the first refreshed Model X Plaid he has seen in the shop (SC at Sunnyvale, CA) for any problem. That's a tiny bit reassuring.

They have to say that regardless of what they know.

You should ask them what the out of warranty cost is for that repair.

 

[DE_SF]

Update: got my car y'day evening. Didn't get much more information from the SC folks unfortunately. All I got was that the inverter for the rear small drive unit had to be replaced. I did ask if this is a common problem with these new vehicles and he denied. He said that it is the first refreshed Model X Plaid he has seen in the shop (SC at Sunnyvale, CA) for any problem. That's a tiny bit reassuring.

Part number below.

View attachment 769808

Just got mine back as well. They said it was a manufacturing defect in the inverter and no widespread reports of this happening to others (so I guess we are just the lucky ones! ).

Interesting data point is that they ordered both a new inverter and a motor as they couldn’t pinpoint where the problem was. The inverter arrived first so they tried that and it worked.

10 days in the SC… 2 to diagnose, 1.5 to fix, the rest spent waiting for parts.

 

[amadeira]

Thanks for the report @DE_SF . What is your year/model and how many miles you had on it? Was it the rear one too?

 

[DE_SF]

Thanks for the report @DE_SF . What is your year/model and how many miles you had on it? Was it the rear one too?

Model X Plaid 764 miles when exact same problem facts as yours (but right rear motor warning and was parked in my own driveway)

 

[englemt]

I had a very similar issue - I was doing 65 on the NJ turnpike and the car hesitated for a split second, then the dash showed the dreaded PULL OVER SAFELY - Vehicle Shutting Down warning. At the bottom, it said "Power Reduced - OK to Drive. Front motor temporarily disabled".

It was NOT Ok to drive. I pulled over, and the vehicle would not start. While on with support we went through all of the recommended reboots (both knobs down, using the shutdown button on the menu, getting out for a few minutes, etc.) with no luck.

I had it towed on Thursday I may get it back next week. They said some major electrical component (not the motor).

I'm asking them to replace all 3 of these bad components. I know, "good luck" - but I've read enough threads to believe that this is a systemic failure and I'm not going to wait around for the other 2 motors to have related failures.

Note these error codes (typing out here so google can index them: Dl_a138 and Dl_a063

 

[chudiddy]

I had a very similar issue - I was doing 65 on the NJ turnpike and the car hesitated for a split second, then the dash showed the dreaded PULL OVER SAFELY - Vehicle Shutting Down warning. At the bottom, it said "Power Reduced - OK to Drive. Front motor temporarily disabled".

It was NOT Ok to drive. I pulled over, and the vehicle would not start. While on with support we went through all of the recommended reboots (both knobs down, using the shutdown button on the menu, getting out for a few minutes, etc.) with no luck.

I had it towed on Thursday I may get it back next week. They said some major electrical component (not the motor).

I'm asking them to replace all 3 of these bad components. I know, "good luck" - but I've read enough threads to believe that this is a systemic failure and I'm not going to wait around for the other 2 motors to have related failures.

Note these error codes (typing out here so google can index them: Dl_a138 and Dl_a063
View attachment 771235View attachment 771236

Wtf this is worrying me. I barely have 400 miles on my plaid and supposed to take a trip in a few days. Now this has me worried. How many miles are on your car when this happened?