My 2 day old P85D suddenly died in the middle of an intersection

[sataponw]

I am glad you guys are okay!! This is why I bought NOCO Genius GB30 Boost, Lithium Ion Jump Starter | Canadian Tire to keep in my car at all time, just in case I need to boost the 12v. The booster is very small (slightly bigger than Iphone 6).

 

[wk057]

I am going to try to return them today and get my money back. I will reorder in 6 months to a year when I am convinced that Tesla has their **** together.

I'm curious as to how that works out... seems a little extreme considering the cause is likely easily fixed, and getting new ones in six months isn't going to change the components much, if at all...

 

[osama]

I'm curious as to how that works out... seems a little extreme considering the cause is likely easily fixed, and getting new ones in six months isn't going to change the components much, if at all...

The next time you get stranded in -12C weather in the middle of an intersection with your 10 year old son and have to ask him to push the car with you then you won't find my action extreme. I am not sure how this will work either but i will find out and tell you.

I said i won't be reordering until I am convinced the cars are ready for prime time. I may never reorder too.

 

[Jeeps17]

I wouldn't have been mad, would have just stared at the sexy car until the tow truck came.

Not in -12C weather with a child in the car, you wouldn't (unless you are WAY more zen than me, and assuming you were not kidding).

Osama: Sorry this happened to you with a brand new car, it really sours what should be an amazing experience. For what it's worth, faulty electronics usually fail early in their lifespan, and you may never have another issue with either of the cars, but I completely understand your reasoning. I hope things work out to your satisfaction (eventually in Teslas !).

 

[wk057]

The next time you get stranded in -12C weather in the middle of an intersection with your 10 year old son and have to ask him to push the car with you then you won't find my action extreme. I am not sure how this will work either but i will find out and tell you.

I said i won't be reordering until I am convinced the cars are ready for prime time. I may never reorder too.

The only reason I say it is a bit extreme is because there is nothing that says the same couldn't happen with any other vehicle. I've had an ICE car die in an intersection in the snow in NJ, definitely not fun and I was also left with no heat and such in that instance. (Blocked the intersection because I couldn't even get it out of gear to push.) Honestly, after every other car I've had, I'd still trust the Model S over any of them.

Not trying to tell you what to do, but, it may be worth reconsidering.

 

[Kalud]

It seems likely the -12 C weather you had at the time was a factor for both the 12V battery and the main battery pack. The dotted limit line in the regen region of the speedometer suggests that the main pack was quite cold. Normally you might see that limit only when the battery is nearly full, not near 50%. Had you been driving the car long enough to warm up before it failed? I realize that this temperature is not unusual for your region this time of year, and that the Tesla is supposed to be able to handle it, but you may need to take some precautions. Was the car plugged in the night before ?

Please @osama don't that these words as-is. The car works perfectly fine in real -30C temperature, you can trust other Canadian with their second or third winter with the Model S. I suggest your unfortunate issue has nothing to do with the temperature but a faulty 12V battery, or related DCDC charging / wiring. The main battery pack contactors thing should be a thing of the past as there are being proactively being replaced on older packs. I can't imagine a brand new December build having contactors issue.

Sorry about your bad start (pun intended) with this car... Like you said previously, its a good thing, at least, that you were driving instead of your wife.

 

[sandpiper]

I am glad you guys are okay!! This is why I bought NOCO Genius GB30 Boost, Lithium Ion Jump Starter | Canadian Tire to keep in my car at all time, just in case I need to boost the 12v. The booster is very small (slightly bigger than Iphone 6).

Interesting. Is the 12V battery easily accessible? I was thinking of reserving the frunk for a bit of an emergency kit, and this would be a good addition, given the battery issues.

 

[Jaff]

I think Tesla does not use this lithium 12v because the operational temperature of this battery (Smart brand battery) is not low enough...I think it is only rated to -4 F if I recall...

Why won't Tesla take some of their cells and MAKE a 12-volt battery out of them? It's been done:

Smart Battery® | 12V Lithium Ion Batteries for RV Marine and Automotive

 

[mrElbe]

I am glad you guys are okay!! This is why I bought NOCO Genius GB30 Boost, Lithium Ion Jump Starter | Canadian Tire to keep in my car at all time, just in case I need to boost the 12v. The booster is very small (slightly bigger than Iphone 6).

If it works as advertised then it would be a must tool to carry, just in case.
Just read some reviews and I am not impressed; it worked for 2 users and utter failure for 2 others.

- - - Updated - - -

MrElbe ... do yourself a VERY big favour and cancel. My cars have less than 200km each. I am going to try to return them today and get my money back. I will reorder in 6 months to a year when I am convinced that Tesla has their **** together.

As a last ditch effort, I just wrote an Email to Jerome.

I hope your battery failure was due to the 12V battery or it's DC charger and not a particular problem to the P85D in cold weather. Worst case is that the main battery disconnected because it was overtaxed to handle the power demand when cold.

 

[sataponw]

Interesting. Is the 12V battery easily accessible? I was thinking of reserving the frunk for a bit of an emergency kit, and this would be a good addition, given the battery issues.

I believe the frunk is electronically latched and won't be accessible when 12v/main battery fails (which is the case here)? Someone here can definitely confirm. If that's the case, I would leave it in the trunk which is always accessible.
The 12V is accessible when you remove the nose cone. I also bought a pry tool but then I believe you can use credit cards, etc to pry it open too. (or easier with the Frunk open)

I watch YouTube reviews of the booster and it seems promising (definitely better than nothing).

 

[wycolo]

As others have said the cause of this incident really has nothing to do with the 10*F temperature, merely a cool day. The screen ideally should have told you to 'chock the wheels and put the car in TOW MODE' before the 12v batt died, but in tow mode the car could roll down a hill and kill someone. So 'not prudent'.

Ideally the screen should announce when the dc>dc converter has neared the point of crapping out. It should ask for further instructions from the driver way BEFORE the 12v batt is fully depleted. Is this too much user involvement?? I don't think so.


> The booster is very small (slightly bigger than Iphone 6) [satoponw]

Probably good to boost your iPhone (so you can call Tesla Service). You need a hefty garden tractor or wheelchair battery to boost the Tesla. Or a honking capacitor like 1.0 farad or more.
--

 

[RAM_Eh]

Why do people jump to the internet when things go wrong and slam something just because they can.

My wife and daughter were stranded when my brand new Acura MDX battery died 6 days after purchase. You don't see me attacking Acura for this. I called them they paid all the bills and got my car back. Move on. I have issues with my MS too, not as dramatic but overall I still pleased.

Since this post was about venting...thought I would too.

 

[tga]

I think Tesla does not use this lithium 12v because the operational temperature of this battery (Smart brand battery) is not low enough...I think it is only rated to -4 F if I recall...

I'd just get a standard jump starter with a sealed lead acid (UPS battery). 1/3 the price and available anywhere (Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc). I've used those for years and they're great. Even started a big GM V8 once or twice.

If your 12V is dead (say, from vampire drain) and the HV pack, contactors, and DC-DC converter are OK, you just need enough power to wake up the car, engage the contactors, and let the DC-DC do its thing.

If your 12V is dead because of HV pack or DC-DC converter failure, you don't need a ton of power either - just enough to get into tow mode when the truck shows up (although all tow trucks should have one).

It's probably a good idea for every owner to figure out how to remove the nose cone and connect a jump starter, just in case. Don't assume the tow truck driver knows how to do it.

 

[Andyw2100]

Again, as others have noted, it doesn't look like the 12V battery is the problem on my car. It is most likely the contractors which are under active recall right now. I am not sure why I would have faulty contractors on a car that was delivered just a few days ago.

Definitely sorry this happened to you, Osama, after all you went through in the ordering and delivery process.

I do want to ask, though, what you mean about the contractors being under active recall? You seem to be stating the above as if it is a known fact. I'm not talking about the "most likely" part. You're saying that the problem is "most likely" the contractors, but you are stating as fact that the contractors in your car are under recall, and that is the part I am asking about. Can you please share more information on that? What is the "active recall," and what makes you believe those contractors are being used on new P85Ds?

Thanks very much, and best of luck with all this.

 

[Kalud]

Definitely sorry this happened to you, Osama, after all you went through in the ordering and delivery process.

I do want to ask, though, what you mean about the contractors being under active recall? You seem to be stating the above as if it is a known fact. I'm not talking about the "most likely" part. You're saying that the problem is "most likely" the contractors, but you are stating as fact that the contractors in your car are under recall, and that is the part I am asking about. Can you please share more information on that? What is the "active recall," and what makes you believe those contractors are being used on new P85Ds?

Thanks very much, and best of luck with all this.

There are some older car's that are getting their contactor replaced, I am pretty sure its been resolved with new build for a good time now. I had a loaner a month ago that had a very different contactor sound.

Thread about contactor being replaced: Proactive Contactor Replacement

 

[wayner]

Why do people jump to the internet when things go wrong and slam something just because they can.

Who is slamming? I didn't take the OP by Osama to be a slam at Tesla except for Roadside assistance and if you are put on hold for 30 minutes then the slamming is deserved.

 

[Andyw2100]

There are some older car's that are getting their contactor replaced, I am pretty sure its been resolved with new build for a good time now. I had a loaner a month ago that had a very different contactor sound.

Thread about contactor being replaced: Proactive Contactor Replacement

Thanks. I was wondering if it might be something like that, but Osama sounded so certain that there was a recall involving the contractors in --HIS-- car that I wanted to ask him about that.

Osama--Is that the recall you were referring to? So you actually don't have a reason to believe there is a recall on the contractors in your car?

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Here is a slam at Tesla: Glad to see that nothing has changed in over 2 years.

Despite all of these new product launches, it's good to see that we are still beta testing 2 years in.

 

[Skotty]

When things are new, it's natural to assume they will work flawlessly. But in reality, I think the most likely times for something to go wrong is when something is very old or when something is very new. I myself had to have a brand new car (not a Tesla) towed back to the dealership the day after I bought it a number of years ago.

Initially, if you have trouble with your new car, you should just feel as one of the few unlucky people who have new product problems. The question is, what is the overall incident rate of these problems. When they start to exceed a certain threshold, that's when it starts to indicate more serious problems with the product. Problem is, we don't have good information on what the incident rate is.

I do feel as though the whole 12V battery with DC DC converter and main pack contactor is probably one of the weakest links in a Tesla. I hope they figure out how to improve it in the future.

 

[osama]

Thanks. I was wondering if it might be something like that, but Osama sounded so certain that there was a recall involving the contractors in --HIS-- car that I wanted to ask him about that.

Osama--Is that the recall you were referring to? So you actually don't have a reason to believe there is a recall on the contractors in your car?

i don't know what is wrong with my wife's car. Nobody from the SC called me yet.

It it is a moot point now. My wife is adamant that she does not want to drive a Tesla after yesterday's incident.