Please Help... Tesla Model S: Maximum battery charge level reduced (cannot get past 20 miles)

[Workbirdy]

owner of a 2013 S, 85. Got the BMS_u029 error a few days ago after latest software installed overnight. Have a schedule appt with Tesla on aug 10th. Was curious what Tesla told you your issue was/is and if it’s a new battery needed, what did they quote you?

I’m running 2022.8.10.1 software.

They going to say new battery 20k or used one 12k what really happened is the software add a file in you car to cap your battery. Speaking from experience that's not true your car can be fix you just have to find a 3rd party to downgrade your software

 

[Electric700]

Can you try restarting your car with the brake and press the two center scroll wheel buttons on either side of the steering wheel for 10 seconds? If that doesn't work, try powering your vehicle off from the screen, wait a minute then power it back on.

If those steps don't work then yes, absolutely you should try rolling back the software version.

 

[wk057]

Downgrading software does not fix the cause of BMS_u029 (Maximum Charge Level Reduced). At best, it'll clear the error, then make the failure of the battery abrupt soon after.

 

[Electric700]

Downgrading software does not fix the cause of BMS_u029 (Maximum Charge Level Reduced). At best, it'll clear the error, then make the failure of the battery abrupt soon after.

But what if there is a real software bug causing a false BMS_u029 error? In that case, a rollback would fix it.

 

[wk057]

But what if there is a real software bug causing a false BMS_u029 error? In that case, a rollback would fix it.

There's not.

 

[Bickar]

owner of a 2013 S, 85. Got the BMS_u029 error a few days ago after latest software installed overnight. Have a schedule appt with Tesla on aug 10th. Was curious what Tesla told you your issue was/is and if it’s a new battery needed, what did they quote you?

I’m running 2022.8.10.1 software.

Have you had a solution to this issue yet?

 

[NikeMan]

Just want to share my experience with my 2015 Model S P85+… I bought it in late April this year and it is still under the general warranty and the previous owner had an extended warranty as well. The first week of May, I got the ‘vehicle may not restart” message nearly every day no matter how long or fast I drove. On May 4th I dropped it off at the TSC in Tampa and they recommended the replacement of the BMS. That took 52 days because of part shortage but was replaced under the extended warranty.

I picked it up on June 26th and got the error when I got home from the TSC. I booked another service appointment the same day and the earliest they had available was 7/31. I dropped it off on 7/31, the tech said it was a bad a/c compressor causing the error (which I knew was complete BS) and they replaced it and I picked it up on August 9th. I got the same error again on… you guessed it, August 9th after driving home directly from the TSC.

I wrote them a very detailed review of my experience and they messaged me to bring my MS back to them the following week (without an appointment) to have on of their senior techs look at it. The day before I was supposed to take it to the TSC, I got the dreaded “Maximum battery charge level reduced” and could not charge past 49%. When I got to the TSC in Tampa the next day, the senior tech came out and after putting my MS in service mode and checking the status on the battery modules, he said that my battery will need to be replaced. He went further on to say that the HV battery should have been replaced in May considering the number of modules that were too low to hold a charge.

I talked to the senior tech in detail about what each of the errors meant and he said they all point to the HV battery pack, not software. He didn’t know why the BMS or the A/C compressor was replaced in his experience. The maximum charge level message is not a good sign and not one that will “autocorrect” or go away. My MS is now at the TSC in Tampa awaiting a HV battery from California to be replaced under warranty by August 31st.

Hope this helps!

 

[Droschke]

Just want to share my experience with my 2015 Model S P85+… I bought it in late April this year and it is still under the general warranty and the previous owner had an extended warranty as well. The first week of May, I got the ‘vehicle may not restart” message nearly every day no matter how long or fast I drove. On May 4th I dropped it off at the TSC in Tampa and they recommended the replacement of the BMS. That took 52 days because of part shortage but was replaced under the extended warranty.

I picked it up on June 26th and got the error when I got home from the TSC. I booked another service appointment the same day and the earliest they had available was 7/31. I dropped it off on 7/31, the tech said it was a bad a/c compressor causing the error (which I knew was complete BS) and they replaced it and I picked it up on August 9th. I got the same error again on… you guessed it, August 9th after driving home directly from the TSC.

I wrote them a very detailed review of my experience and they messaged me to bring my MS back to them the following week (without an appointment) to have on of their senior techs look at it. The day before I was supposed to take it to the TSC, I got the dreaded “Maximum battery charge level reduced” and could not charge past 49%. When I got to the TSC in Tampa the next day, the senior tech came out and after putting my MS in service mode and checking the status on the battery modules, he said that my battery will need to be replaced. He went further on to say that the HV battery should have been replaced in May considering the number of modules that were too low to hold a charge.

I talked to the senior tech in detail about what each of the errors meant and he said they all point to the HV battery pack, not software. He didn’t know why the BMS or the A/C compressor was replaced in his experience. The maximum charge level message is not a good sign and not one that will “autocorrect” or go away. My MS is now at the TSC in Tampa awaiting a HV battery from California to be replaced under warranty by August 31st.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for sharing your experience. Not sure why the "Senior" tech was not in the picture during your prior service visits !!!

Let us know what battery pack they give you and hope it will be a good one.

 

[ddb1001]

Same issue after doing an OTA update tesla 2022.8.10.5. 2018 Model S 85. Was supercharging fine and then received the "Maximum battery charge level reduced" error message.

Here for the class action lawsuit.

 

[ddb1001]

* 2013 Model S 85

 

[beastman]

Same issue after doing an OTA update tesla 2022.8.10.5. 2018 Model S 85. Was supercharging fine and then received the "Maximum battery charge level reduced" error message.

Here for the class action lawsuit.

I'm on 2022.24.8 right now w/ a Feb 2015 refurbed pack done in June 2022. Software update went out on my 2013 P85 Model S last week. I sure hope they don't have code in these to withhold some of these messages under the warranty timeframe - technically they may even know the warranty on refurbed packs even if the rest of the car is out of warranty. It seems like these issues crop up on trips or when you are below 20% after a supercharging session from anecdotal feedback here. According to Jason (wk057) the moisture issues are what's killing these packs in 2012-2014 and some early 2015 models. Do you have a dual charger on your car (80a) and use a gen2 wall connector at home, how often do you supercharge?

 

[ddb1001]

I'm on 2022.24.8 right now w/ a Feb 2015 refurbed pack done in June 2022. Software update went out on my 2013 P85 Model S last week. I sure hope they don't have code in these to withhold some of these messages under the warranty timeframe - technically they may even know the warranty on refurbed packs even if the rest of the car is out of warranty. It seems like these issues crop up on trips or when you are below 20% after a supercharging session from anecdotal feedback here. According to Jason (wk057) the moisture issues are what's killing these packs in 2012-2014 and some early 2015 models. Do you have a dual charger on your car (80a) and use a gen2 wall connector at home, how often do you supercharge?

I live near a supercharging station so I have supercharged exclusively. I usually start charging at about 10-20% left and leave it there to charge to 80-85%. (mine was nerfed so it takes 1+ hrs to charge up)

It seems strange that many of the 2012-14 were working fine but then 'bricked' after an OTA update.

 

[ddb1001]

I'm on 2022.24.8 right now w/ a Feb 2015 refurbed pack done in June 2022. Software update went out on my 2013 P85 Model S last week. I sure hope they don't have code in these to withhold some of these messages under the warranty timeframe - technically they may even know the warranty on refurbed packs even if the rest of the car is out of warranty. It seems like these issues crop up on trips or when you are below 20% after a supercharging session from anecdotal feedback here. According to Jason (wk057) the moisture issues are what's killing these packs in 2012-2014 and some early 2015 models. Do you have a dual charger on your car (80a) and use a gen2 wall connector at home, how often do you supercharge?

“any cars that have had Tesla-refurbished packs installed” will also face them

In Zelaya’s case, the warranty for his 2013 Model S expired on June 19, 2020, eight years after he bought the EV. He argued that Tesla could have detected the water invasion much earlier if it had properly inspected the battery packs. Hughes said Tesla started fixing the issue in early 2019 with a software change. In other words, before Zelaya’s Model S battery pack warranty expired.

What Hughes thinks that Tesla failed to do was that it doesn’t “seem to always correct the underlying issue on their refurbished batteries that they sell to customers.” This would be why newer vehicles present the same moisture-ingress issues as older Model S units.

-- (Tesla Hacker Confirms Model S Battery Pack Has Moisture-Ingress Issues, https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...-pack-has-moisture-ingress-issues-199073.html)