My new Model 3 has faulty battery. Needs replacement...

[BozieBeMe2]

There was a thread recently with a new owner asking if it was safe to take his new Model 3 on a roadtrip right after delivery.

This is why the answer is NO.

Really? Have you always had this fear of all the items that you have purchased in the past?
If so, you really must lead a sheltered life, go ahead and drive it,,, drive it like you stolen it. Live it up, it has a warranty. If something does go amiss, Tesla will have you covered. One of the best and proactive services ever offered. If you wait till life never causes you to have a skinned knee or any other little boo boo, then you will never experience of Grinn'in

 

[slipnslider]

Really? Have you always had this fear of all the items that you have purchased in the past?
If so, you really must lead a sheltered life, go ahead and drive it,,, drive it like you stolen it. Live it up, it has a warranty. If something does go amiss, Tesla will have you covered. One of the best and proactive services ever offered. If you wait till life never causes you to have a skinned knee or any other little boo boo, then you will never experience of Grinn'in

A tesla on a roadtrip breakdown is a lot more problematic than most other cars. Getting it on the right kind of tow truck, and towed to a place that can diagnose and repair it which will often be much further away than an ICE repair center would be, which would likely require much longer wait for parts, while you're stranded wherever it is.

 

[BozieBeMe2]

I still stand by what I've said. Tesla will bring you a car if it's required. This is No different than with most premium cars.
As for as any towing situation, the Tesla can be loaded on the usual roll back service truck. Tesla will send the correct people.
And,, if the service that you require is farther than you expected, you will still be driving a Tesla loaner, Not Stranded.

 

[Canuck]

There was a thread recently with a new owner asking if it was safe to take his new Model 3 on a roadtrip right after delivery. This is why the answer is NO.

We've read very few reports of Model 3 battery failures given the number of vehicles now delivered. Whether it's an ICE, battery or nuclear sub, problems happen. Nothing is 100% in this world, as you seem to think. But we know you expect Tesla to have a 100% flawless rate, before you can pick up your vehicle and go on a road trip. We all know that's an impossibility in a world of electronics and moving parts, so in the real world, you stay home. That's fine -- but telling others to expect the impossible or stay home makes you sound silly. Most people understand and accept a certain amount of risk and this amount is extremely nominal (sorry OP you got the short straw). I'm picking up my 3 on June 5 and going on a road trip a few days later with no concerns at all -- or, if there are any down deep in me, they're drowned out by the excitement.

A tesla on a roadtrip breakdown is a lot more problematic than most other cars.

Says who? I have over 4 years and 100k km of EV road trips under my belt and I've had more problems in an ICE than in my Tesla.

Man. Sorry to hear about your problems. This is unfortunately a downside of being an early adopter of anything Tesla puts out. This is exactly why I have put in no deposit $ on a Model 3 yet. I'm waiting to see how its reliability is in the hands of real customers for 6-12 months. And even then, that might be too early. And yes, I know I could be waiting a VERY LONG time or may never get a 3. That's ok.

I'm so glad I don't share your view. The past 4+ years with my Tesla have improved my quality of life significantly and every day I still look forward to getting into my large frunk, 80 amp, non-AP classic. Yes, there are Tesla growing problems you have to deal with, but they're so minor when compared to the fact that we are mortal and will be gone forever sooner than we think. Even one day without a Tesla is too long for me for wait for them to work out all the kinks. BMW has had since 1916 to work things out and there's still lots of problems. If Tesla survives that long, there will still be problems. Different problems, but problems none the less. So there's no sitting on the sidelines of life for me.

 

[MXWing]

We have space shuttles explode with astronauts on board (RIP - thank you for you service) and people are terrified of the less than 1 percent of 1 percent of those who developed a serious Model 3 complication.

 

[turtlesz]

I just joined this club I think.... Took delivery of my 3 last week. Was driving my Model 3 home today when suddenly I received a message stating "Cannot maintain vehicle power - Car may stop driving or shut down." Car slowed to a stop within 20 seconds and was unable to be turned on, luckily I was on a street and was able to pull over and not on the highway. Hit both knobs on steering wheel to reboot system but the message persisted. Then another message would say "Vehicle systems are powering up - Shift into D or R after message clears" but was never able to shift out of P. Had to call Tesla and had the vehicle towed to a service center. Was a scary experience since the car seemed to work perfectly fine for the first week and had 160 miles without issue. It wasn't a drained battery as I had 252 miles left on the charge and had not been using car for anything else, no dashcam installed that would have drained the 12v.

 

[Electroman]

Keep us posted here..

 

[UZJedi]

I just joined this club I think.... Took delivery of my 3 last week. Was driving my Model 3 home today when suddenly I received a message stating "Cannot maintain vehicle power - Car may stop driving or shut down." Car slowed to a stop within 20 seconds and was unable to be turned on, luckily I was on a street and was able to pull over and not on the highway. Hit both knobs on steering wheel to reboot system but the message persisted. Then another message would say "Vehicle systems are powering up - Shift into D or R after message clears" but was never able to shift out of P. Had to call Tesla and had the vehicle towed to a service center. Was a scary experience since the car seemed to work perfectly fine for the first week and had 160 miles without issue. It wasn't a drained battery as I had 252 miles left on the charge and had not been using car for anything else, no dashcam installed that would have drained the 12v.

That's a bummer. You're the third to report a critical battery issue for the Model 3 on these forums (assuming it's the battery). Let us know what happens. I wonder how many have had a similar issue but didn't report it here.

 

[turtlesz]

That's a bummer. You're the third to report a critical battery issue for the Model 3 on these forums (assuming it's the battery). Let us know what happens. I wonder how many have had a similar issue but didn't report it here.

They are delivering me a Model S loaner quicky which is nice. But it is concerning having a car stop suddenly while driving and having multiple cases of model 3 issues. Seems like all these cases are from recent builds I had a high VIN 23xxx, and the other cases on this forum were from cars picked up in May too.

 

[slipnslider]

Says who? I have over 4 years and 100k km of EV road trips under my belt and I've had more problems in an ICE than in my Tesla.

That's not what I said. I said WHEN a tesla breaks down on a road trip, it's a bigger problem than when most ICE cars break down due to the relative scarcity of repair centers, the need for flatbed towtrucks, and potentially long repair delays.

 

[dusterbuster]

I’m sure battery replacements have been infrequent, but I did notice a Model 3 battery crate when I was at the Los Angeles Centinela service center last week.

 

[turtlesz]

I just joined this club I think.... Took delivery of my 3 last week. Was driving my Model 3 home today when suddenly I received a message stating "Cannot maintain vehicle power - Car may stop driving or shut down." Car slowed to a stop within 20 seconds and was unable to be turned on, luckily I was on a street and was able to pull over and not on the highway. Hit both knobs on steering wheel to reboot system but the message persisted. Then another message would say "Vehicle systems are powering up - Shift into D or R after message clears" but was never able to shift out of P. Had to call Tesla and had the vehicle towed to a service center. Was a scary experience since the car seemed to work perfectly fine for the first week and had 160 miles without issue. It wasn't a drained battery as I had 252 miles left on the charge and had not been using car for anything else, no dashcam installed that would have drained the 12v.

So received update that my car is ready. They replaced the drive unit and pyrofuse. Took less then 2 days for the fix which is much faster then I was anticipating.

 

[abasile]

Shortly after buying our pre-owned 2012 Model S a couple of years ago, the car exhibited serious issues (with first-gen 2012 parts) that caused us to need a loaner vehicle for around a month. While the loaner wasn't as desirable (to us) as our own Model S, we were very grateful to be able to shift significant miles and tire wear to a Tesla vehicle that we didn't own. This effectively extended our 50k mile warranty by at least 2k miles and the life of our tires by maybe 10% (tires don't last as long for mountain dwellers like us). Plus, it can be fun to experience different Tesla vehicle models, variants, and options.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

So received update that my car is ready. They replaced the drive unit and pyrofuse. Took less then 2 days for the fix which is much faster then I was anticipating.

Sounds like something shorted out badly in the drive unit and the pyro fuse did it's job to disconnect the battery pack from everything. Though ideally the regular contactors should be used ... if they didn't need replacing too I wonder why the pyro fuse was needing to be replaced.

 

[eprosenx]

My wife and I had planned to take it on a road trip to Portland, OR in a couple weeks to visit family and friends.

What part of PDX are you coming down to?

I ordered my M3 on April 18th and am in waiting purgatory. A friend that ordered on the same day got his a week and a half ago! I got an email the next day saying I was pushed back to July!

I have installed an outdoor Wall Connector on a 60a circuit (so it can charge at the max 48a rate of the M3 first production). If you are headed to Beaverton (nearly Hillsboro) and need a place to charge feel free to hit me up...

 

[UZJedi]

Update: Service center says they have my new battery, but now they are waiting for a plastic seal for it. Sounds very similar to @Jpjpjp waiting for his bolts...

Tuesday will be two weeks since I brought the car in.

 

[UZJedi]

What part of PDX are you coming down to?

I ordered my M3 on April 18th and am in waiting purgatory. A friend that ordered on the same day got his a week and a half ago! I got an email the next day saying I was pushed back to July!

I have installed an outdoor Wall Connector on a 60a circuit (so it can charge at the max 48a rate of the M3 first production). If you are headed to Beaverton (nearly Hillsboro) and need a place to charge feel free to hit me up...

Thanks for the offer. We decided to take the minivan this time.

 

[Jpjpjp]

Update: Service center says they have my new battery, but now they are waiting for a plastic seal for it. Sounds very similar to @Jpjpjp waiting for his bolts...

Tuesday will be two weeks since I brought the car in.

FWIW, they gave me a free annual servicing credit for my troubles. You may want to see if you can get the same if they haven’t already offered it to you yet

 

[j_c_2001]

Similar situation for my end of March 2018 Model 3. After about 1000 miles and the latest firmware update, the car was totally dead. Could not power up and had to have Tesla roadside assistance tow me to the nearest service center.

Was told they had to replace the drive unit and Phyro Fuse. About a week later, they are still waiting for the parts to come in.

Was excited for my model 3, but now a little worried what other problems will come out of my $50k+ car.

I have a Model S loaner in the meantime. Which helps the pain. But man, we are beta testers for the Model 3 for sure.

 

[UZJedi]

Final Update: (I hope...)

Got my car back today. I got a new battery, not a loaner battery. Also got my first two annual service visits credited to my account for my trouble. Car was at service center for 17 days out of the 23 I have owned the car.

I love this car. It's more fun to drive and better in so many ways than the P85+ loaner I had. Tighter steering, better suspension, quieter ride. Smaller, more agile car. Better sound system. Better UI and maps. I'm sure if I had been driving a newer Model S that I would have liked it just fine.

Here's hoping I don't have to head back to the service center until that first annual checkup... *fingers crossed*