My Tesla Suddenly Disabled All Features During Drive (ABS, TACC, Stability Control, etc) and Now There's a Burning Smell? Panicking Like Crazy.

[GoHawks29]

Hi All,

So I went for a drive today to finish calibrating the car and all of a sudden, all of my features were disabled such as auto steer, TACC, ABS, regenerative braking, and some other things. As soon as I got home, I noticed a burning type smell coming from the car along with some smoke. I'm panicking like crazy right now and wondering what I did wrong. Is there any way I can reach Tesla right away? It's past 10PM EST now and I don't know what to do.

 

[holmesm1]

I hope its not in your garage or next to your house. That sounds like a 911 call to me, potential fire.

 

[android04]

Call roadside assistance (look in the Tesla app for the number)

 

[GoHawks29]

I hope its not in your garage or next to your house. That sounds like a 911 call to me, potential fire.

No more smoke but still a burning scent in the garage, could it be the Wall Connector? I haven't even used it recently.

 

[GoHawks29]

Call roadside assistance (look in the Tesla app for the number)

Can't seem to find it, only giving me options for categories like Heating/Air Conditioning, Flat Tire, etc

 

[holmesm1]

No more smoke but still a burning scent in the garage, could it be the Wall Connector? I haven't even used it recently.

Normally if the wiring on a circuit were getting hot the circuit breaker would kick off. You may want to try turning off the breaker to the charger and see if the smell goes away after 10 minutes or so. There can be issues there, but usually a qualified electrician would have prevented those. My guy did a great job and the county inspector passed it right away.

 

[GoHawks29]

Normally if the wiring on a circuit were getting hot the circuit breaker would kick off. You may want to try turning off the breaker to the charger and see if the smell goes away after 10 minutes or so. There can be issues there, but usually a qualified electrician would have prevented those. My guy did a great job and the county inspector passed it right away.

I can give that a go although it seems like the smell is going away gradually. Is it possible this was just a result of having to use manual brakes the entire drive back? I noticed some clear puddles underneath my Tesla once I backed it out of my garage but I'm guessing that's just the AC condensation?

 

[Benito1283]

You need to set up a service appointment to have the car looked at. I don’t think anyone here can properly diagnose what’s going on. Doubt it’s your Wall Connector though. Sounds like it’s your car, and related to the errors you got. They will figure it out.

 

[GoHawks29]

You need to set up a service appointment to have the car looked at. I don’t think anyone here can properly diagnose what’s going on. Doubt it’s your Wall Connector though. Sounds like it’s your car, and related to the errors you got. They will figure it out.

I managed to get ahold of the roadside assistance and they noted that there were alerts that require the car to be towed. Looks like it's being picked up tonight and dropped off at the service center. I don't think it could be my Wall Connector either as I've hardly used it and the smell was not there when I left for the drive a couple hours ago, only appeared when I came back with the Tesla after all the features were disabled.

 

[thefisch]

I thought the smell was coming from the car, not the charger. I would park outside on the street until they get there. Will make the tow easier.

 

[GoHawks29]

I thought the smell was coming from the car, not the charger. I would park outside on the street until they get there. Will make the tow easier.

I firmly believe it's from the car since I noticed smoke when pulling it out and parking it on the street. The Wall Connector has hardly been used and I used some highly reviewed (and Tesla certified) electricians for the Wall Connector install so I'm hoping they did a proper job there. I can give them a call too in the morning to see if they can come out and check it once more just for sanity sake.

 

[thefisch]

I firmly believe it's from the car since I noticed smoke when pulling it out and parking it on the street. The Wall Connector has hardly been used and I used some highly reviewed (and Tesla certified) electricians for the Wall Connector install so I'm hoping they did a proper job there. I can give them a call too in the morning to see if they can come out and check it once more just for sanity sake.

Up to you, but I would flip off the breaker and just wait until you hear from the SC about your car. No reason to blame the charger when the issue started when you were driving, not charging.

Keep us posted on what the SC says.

 

[240vPlug]

Wow sounds scary. If the car is smoking that certainly isn't good. Please let us know what happens when it gets into service.

 

[android04]

Those error messages come up if there were a problem with one of the wheel speed sensors. It's possible that the cable for one of them was loose and was rubbing on the tire, or that some debris got dragged into the wheel well and damaged the cable. And anything rubbing on the tire would generate a lot of heat and smoke. Did you check any of the wheel wells or tires for damage?

 

[SageBrush]

"

Now There's a Burning Smell?​

"

So far as I can smell, nothing new

 

[GoHawks29]

Those error messages come up if there were a problem with one of the wheel speed sensors. It's possible that the cable for one of them was loose and was rubbing on the tire, or that some debris got dragged into the wheel well and damaged the cable. And anything rubbing on the tire would generate a lot of heat and smoke. Did you check any of the wheel wells or tires for damage?

I’ve read that being a common issue along with rodents chewing up the wires. I honestly forgot to check in the moment, although I guess the SC will let me know if that’s a possibility now. I’ll keep everyone updated with what they say. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious.

 

[GoHawks29]

Just got my car back from the SC - here's the update:

They diagnosed it and found that a rear wheel speed sensor was soft-set which they had to clean and reconnect. The regenerative braking was disabled as a result of the wheel speed signal not properly set which required more effort to slow the car down. The preservative brake coatings from shipping burnt off as a result of all this which caused the burning smell and partial smoke.

They test drove it for an extended amount of time just to make sure everything was proper and said everything was working normally as intended.

Overall, I'm happy with their diagnostics and turnaround time along with the assistance they offered me to tow the car. I'm just glad it's nothing more serious than that. I had a fun time driving it out on the highway just to double check everything was normal and man is this car a joy to push the pedal down on and zoom (at reasonable speeds, of course).

 

[Benito1283]

Wow, that’s about the best outcome you could’ve possibly hoped for. Props to your SC for quick diagnosis and turnaround. Enjoy the car!