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One day old Model 3 "PULL OVER SAFELY

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Dave EV

Active Member
Jun 23, 2009
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LR RWD Model 3 was delivered Saturday afternoon - initial delivery Saturday morning was delayed after they called and said they had to replace a 12V harness or something. My wife was driving the car home w/my son tonight (30 hours after delivery, 76 miles on the odometer) and it gave two errors, I think were "Car shutting down" "Unable to drive" w/the "PULL OVER SAFELY".

She tried to pull into a business parking lot / driveway, but car stopped moving and got stuck in the driveway, blocking traffic and pissing impatient people off - shut-down was too quick.

Told her how to put into tow-mode over the phone after stressing out for 15 minutes trying to put the car into neutral on hold w/Tesla and two good samaritans helped push out of the driveway and off to the side. Two hours later, car towed off to the service center.

Really annoying - now my wife doesn't trust the car any more and is worried it will leave her stranded again.

HV battery seemed to be functioning OK - HVAC worked for the entire two hours. All manner of reboots / power-offs didn't help. (two-finger salute, two-finger salute w/brake pedal until the T shows up, "Power off" and waiting 3+ minutes).

What's weird is that if you access the car via the phone, the GPS location is the original spot where it stopped moving when originally shutting down.
 
Maybe the rear drive unit failed?

If you Google, the errors the screen showed, you will see a list of owners who have the same issues and same scary quick shutdown scenarios.

It happened to myself with my 3 year old in the car in the middle of an intersection after 4 days of ownership. P3D+

Flatbed towed to service center, they had it for 2 weeks, replaced the rear drive unit among other components, fuses, and gave it back.

I have trust issues with it now also.
 
Maybe the rear drive unit failed?

If you Google, the errors the screen showed, you will see a list of owners who have the same issues and same scary quick shutdown scenarios.

It happened to myself with my 3 year old in the car in the middle of an intersection after 4 days of ownership. P3D+

Flatbed towed to service center, they had it for 2 weeks, replaced the rear drive unit among other components, fuses, and gave it back.

I have trust issues with it now also.

One of the selling points on the DM was that if one motor failed, the car could still be driven. If this is true than that doesn't seem to be the case. Did they say if the fuses,etc were affected the front drive unit?
 
It seems like rear drive unit failures generate a lot more errors than the two I got based on the other threads I saw, no?

Haven't heard from the service center yet, but last time I was there it was super busy.

Car responds to mobile access and doors are now unlocked, but GPS says it's still in the same spot it shut down.

I'm glad that the HV battery didn't disconnect and 12V battery didn't die, that would have been even more of a PITA.
 
This happened to me the first week I had my car. Fortunately, I was already in a parking lot and could call for service. The rep had me reboot the computer (Foot on brake, press both thumb wheels and hold until the screen flashes). No problem since. Another owner had the car shut down on the freeway and it turned out to be one of the drive units. Hope the reboot works for you!
 
Was loaned a dirty, pretty beat-up, pre-update, Model S 85 as with about 55k miles on it. Rear motor making a fairly loud whirring noise when accelerating, needs new windshield wipers, steering wheel is crooked and sunroof chatters when opening. Not the premium experience you expect. Not even a regular dealer experience - I got a basically new Altima or Rogue when my LEAF needed warranty service. I still prefer the S over the Enterprise Nissan Rogue I had last time I visited Tesla service, but not by much. I like the 3 a lot more than the S, even ignoring the issues the loaner has.

Service center is very busy. Teslas are packed into every nook and cranny. San Diego really needs more service centers - Carlsbad can't come soon enough. If BMW has 6 dealers in San Diego, at current sales volume, Tesla will eventually need the same. It's clear that they are currently overwhelmed.

Car started updating it's GPS location earlier today, looks like they started working on it pretty much immediately this morning. Notified of a software update on the mobile app around 5 PM, update finished 30 min later (2018.42.2) and now charging to 90%. Hopefully they've fixed the issue, but haven't heard anything yet.

I bet the 12V battery is dead. Just a hunch. The "Replacing 12V Harness" before delivery should have been a huge red flag.
Definitely a red flag, but the 12V battery itself seems to be fine - and from other people's reports a different error is generated when that dies. If I had to guess, the car had the same issue while they were prepping it for delivery, then replaced the part, but it turns out that the part they replaced wasn't the issue. Unfortunately, since it was fixed before we got it, no service invoice to see exactly what they replaced. I'll try to get more detail when the car is fixed.

The OP said it is RWD.
I think he was replying to @Orwell who's P3D+ died in a similar manner - but I had the same thought as @rflail.

This happened to me the first week I had my car. Fortunately, I was already in a parking lot and could call for service. The rep had me reboot the computer (Foot on brake, press both thumb wheels and hold until the screen flashes). No problem since. Another owner had the car shut down on the freeway and it turned out to be one of the drive units. Hope the reboot works for you!
Unfortunately, tried all the various reboots without any luck. Tried the regular two-finger reboot, two-finger reboot + hold until T shows up on screen, press the power-off button and wait 5 minutes before pressing brake pedal.
 
Was loaned a dirty, pretty beat-up, pre-update, Model S 85 as with about 55k miles on it. Rear motor making a fairly loud whirring noise when accelerating, needs new windshield wipers, steering wheel is crooked and sunroof chatters when opening. Not the premium experience you expect. Not even a regular dealer experience - I got a basically new Altima or Rogue when my LEAF needed warranty service. I still prefer the S over the Enterprise Nissan Rogue I had last time I visited Tesla service, but not by much. I like the 3 a lot more than the S, even ignoring the issues the loaner has.

That noise is called "milling" and a large number of the early RWD Ss developed it. Some people had several drive unit replacements over it. The smaller drive unit used in the AWD S/X have had fewer problems.

Service center is very busy. Teslas are packed into every nook and cranny. San Diego really needs more service centers - Carlsbad can't come soon enough. If BMW has 6 dealers in San Diego, at current sales volume, Tesla will eventually need the same. It's clear that they are currently overwhelmed.

Tesla needs more service centers everywhere. Apparently Elon Tweeted about opening more service centers recently, though he was talking about more in smaller cities. California is chock packed with SCs compared to the rest of the world. Portland's is the only one between Sacramento and Seattle and the nearest to the east is Salt Lake City.

When I saw the ramp plans for the Model 3 I was very concerned about the service centers getting overloaded.

In any case, it does sound like you got some major part that died in infancy. Not great.
 
Unfortunately, tried all the various reboots without any luck. Tried the regular two-finger reboot, two-finger reboot + hold until T shows up on screen, press the power-off button and wait 5 minutes before pressing brake pedal.

But did you try the one-finger salute?

No seriously, sounds like a much larger issue than I had, glad they are working on it. My local SC once provided me with a low-mileage S as a loaner. Fantastic car, but it was covered in road dust and bird doo. I was mortified to think that someone would believe I was driving my own car around looking like that. It is an oversight on Tesla's part to allow their brand to be represented poorly when the fix is so simple.
 
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Wasn't able to connect to the car today via the app. Got a report mid-afternoon that they are still working on it and it may be the rear motor as a few of you suspected. Seems like the failure isn't cut and dry or isn't something they've seen before as it's taking them a while to figure out the root cause.

That noise is called "milling" and a large number of the early RWD Ss developed it.
Yeah, that's probably it, though based on reports I expected it to be fairly constant and not highly variable based on motor load (it's quiet under regen and coasting, for example).

Tesla needs more service centers everywhere.
Absolutely - some more than others, but with the rate of the Model 3 ramp, unless they can significantly reduce the rate at which cars need service, they need to be scaling up service proportionally. It would be very interesting to see how the reliability of various Teslas is (model, year, etc)

In any case, it does sound like you got some major part that died in infancy. Not great.
As long as they properly identify the fault and fix it, that's fine. I'm only concerned if they can't identify the issue or if they "fix" the problem and the issue reoccurs. Getting stranded on the side of the road is not pleasant.

But did you try the one-finger salute?
I was tempted!

My local SC once provided me with a low-mileage S as a loaner. Fantastic car, but it was covered in road dust and bird doo. I was mortified to think that someone would believe I was driving my own car around looking like that. It is an oversight on Tesla's part to allow their brand to be represented poorly when the fix is so simple.
Absolutely - just a quick wash and wipe would be nice - not to mention a quick inspection of the loaner in between loans to look for issues. Rental car companies do this for as low as $20/day. Just outsource the whole damn thing to Enterprise if Tesla can't manage it themselves, this isn't rocket science and from reports on the forums, this has been going on for a while.
 
Wasn't able to connect to the car today via the app. Got a report mid-afternoon that they are still working on it and it may be the rear motor as a few of you suspected. Seems like the failure isn't cut and dry or isn't something they've seen before as it's taking them a while to figure out the root cause.

It's never fun when you're the first one to turn up a major problem.

Yeah, that's probably it, though based on reports I expected it to be fairly constant and not highly variable based on motor load (it's quiet under regen and coasting, for example).

I've heard some reports that it can be variable on some cars. I think it was Rich's Rebuilds who took the drive unit apart on one of these cars and found wear in the gears.

Absolutely - some more than others, but with the rate of the Model 3 ramp, unless they can significantly reduce the rate at which cars need service, they need to be scaling up service proportionally. It would be very interesting to see how the reliability of various Teslas is (model, year, etc)

Consumer Reports has some data year to year, though the Model 3 is too new for much data. This is just my anecdotal data from reading this forum, but it appears to me end of quarter cars have more problems than mid-quarter cars. With the insane rush to get cars built at the end of the quarter mistakes are made, and with delivery centers overloaded, problems are missed in pre-delivery inspection.

As long as they properly identify the fault and fix it, that's fine. I'm only concerned if they can't identify the issue or if they "fix" the problem and the issue reoccurs. Getting stranded on the side of the road is not pleasant.

Agreed!
 
Wasn't able to connect to the car today via the app. .

It now appears to be standard operating procedure for Tesla to disable mobile access to cars they have checked into service.... if that makes you feel any better.

I had my Model-3 in for service with about 500 miles on the clock due to a weird metallic grinding noise when turning the front rack that they diagnosed from a video I made of the problem as a bad bearing in a hub.

They had the car for nearly five days and ultimately reported that the fix for the problem was a factory object loose in the passenger footwell ducting. That's a new one.

They made a point of telling me they wouldn't address any other concerns during my service visit due to their backlog. My loaner car was a beat up 1st gen Model S that was scratched to hell, had some weird noises associated with it and was dented in several places, but it was better than getting a rental loaner I guess.

The check-list at pick up indicated they would have installed latest FW, topped off washer fluid, checked tire pressures, etc., as part of their standard courtesy service. They did none of those things, they also didn't charge the battery and left me with about 100 miles of range... luckily I don't have a very long drive.

Tesla service has a long long way to go before it hits the level of other luxury auto makers. My local BMW mega-center that had service on my last two cars runs like a Swiss watch and I've literally never been anything other than delighted with them. Tesla has to do better when competition arrives.
 
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//aside....

My first BMW 3-series had an annoying squeak in the center console area. I had to schedule my brand new car to go in for service for a day or two so they could diagnose the issue.

I dropped the car off with them and sped off in my fancy new 5 series loaner car. They called me later in the day to say that the squeak was due to a part in the console that had been redesigned by the factory and that they would order a new one, even though the squeak was gone when they reassembled the parts.

Since I was inconvenienced not only by the initial drop off of a new car but having to bring it in a 2nd time for the part replacement they asked what they could do to make it up to me and ultimately gave me a $600 ceramic window tint job on the car for $100 to make things right.

That's the kind of service I expect from Tesla but we are a very long way from there yet.
 
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Absolutely - just a quick wash and wipe would be nice - not to mention a quick inspection of the loaner in between loans to look for issues. Rental car companies do this for as low as $20/day. Just outsource the whole damn thing to Enterprise if Tesla can't manage it themselves, this isn't rocket science and from reports on the forums, this has been going on for a while.

I forgot to mention that the S had less than 75 miles on the range when it was loaned to me. Good thing I have a charging station set up in my garage or I would not have made it back to Rocklin!
 
Sorry to hear that this happened with your family in the car! Glad they were safe enough.

Absolutely - just a quick wash and wipe would be nice - not to mention a quick inspection of the loaner in between loans to look for issues. Rental car companies do this for as low as $20/day. Just outsource the whole damn thing to Enterprise if Tesla can't manage it themselves, this isn't rocket science and from reports on the forums, this has been going on for a while.

When my P3D+ was in for a replacement front drive unit (less than 1k mi) I had a S75 loaner that was pretty dirty. It doesn't help that the San Diego service center shares a fence with some sort of mine... Anyway, after getting my car back (20 days), I got an invoice from Enterprise and choked at the cost to have the S for that long - $1900+! So, it appears that enterprise does handle some of the loaner services, but at much more than $20/day.
 
That's the kind of service I expect from Tesla but we are a very long way from there yet.
I agree - that sounds like the kind of service one should get. But at a minimum, a clean loaner that's not beat up should be provided.

As my last update noted, they did end up replacing the rear drive unit - something went wrong in the inverter. Picked up the car today and all is well.

Does anyone know that a Business Insider reporter is trolling the forums looking for people to interview?

I got this PM yesterday from mmatousek:

Availability for Business Insider interview about Model 3
Hi Dave,

I cover Tesla for Business Insider and saw your post about your Model 3 shutting down a day after delivery. Are you available for an interview in the next week?

Best,

Mark​

I've seen him trolling Twitter for interviews, but not TMC - needless to say I declined. Certainly this violates some sort TOU on TMC?
 
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