Rear Drive Unit Failed

[StealthP3D]

And yet, they decided to lower the warranty for the 3 instead of leaving it the same.

The warranty for the Model 3 has never been lowered, it is the same warranty it was released with.

I asked you for an example of a competitor that offers a longer drivetrain warranty and you didn't come up with one. Leave it to Saghost to come up with Rolls Royce's 3 years, unlimited miles warranty. I'm not sure how that's comparable to the Model 3's 8 year, 120,000 mile warranty (because it would be awfully rare to drive over 120,000 miles in only 3 years). So, for practical purposes, the Model 3 warranty is much better than a 3 year, unlimited mile warranty.

Manufacturers can offer any warranty they like as long as they charge enough to be able to cover the warranty expense. It's a calculated risk and as the production volumes go up, so does the risk. Tesla is trying to make the Model 3 affordable so they don't want to be warranting unlimited miles over 8 years. They could offer a 3-year unlimited miles warranty like Rolls Royce but most consumers would see right through that. The short-sellers would have a field day!

Funny thing is, Rolls Royce could warranty that the car would never run out of gas in the first 3 years but then they would have to build the cost of gas into the purchase price.

 

[Az_Rael]

I asked you for an example of a competitor that offers a longer drivetrain warranty and you didn't come up with one.

You asked why I felt it didn’t inspire confidence. I told you why I felt that way. Doesn’t matter if you feel differently, it still doesn’t inspire confidence to me.

I do not know of another drive train warranty that is longer than the Model S. Several companies offer 10/100K powertrain warranties that are equivalent to the 3’s 8/100K or 8/120K. Some might consider 10 years to be better than 8 if they don’t drive a lot. Also, powertrain warranties usually cover more than Tesla’s drive unit warranty does, like axle shafts so they are a bit difficult to equate. (Ask any Model S owner about the longevity of the S half shafts which aren’t covered by the unmilimted mile warranty).

So, yeah, Tesla not being able to offer a longer warranty than a Kia with a ICE and transmission and all those moving parts is not confidence inspiring to me. Especially with the million mile drive unit claims.

 

[Eggbeater]

Well my rear unit failed this month. Luckily it was in my garage as opposed to on a road trip like the OP. I assumed it would be at the SC for weeks but they had it done in 3 days (they also had to replace my cracking glass as well). I love my car but not sure if I trust it now...

 

[danvuquoc]

To give you a few more anecdotal pieces:

- My ex-Tesla employee friend's Model 3 LR vin 0006xx rear drive unit failed
- My drive unit failed at 12,xxx mi, Model 3 LR vin 008xxx, while driving no errors -- severely reduced power on the road
- My other friend's Model 3 LR vin 0018xxx rear drive unit failed on his driveway with errors

 

[StealthP3D]

To give you a few more anecdotal pieces:

- My ex-Tesla employee friend's Model 3 LR vin 0006xx rear drive unit failed
- My drive unit failed at 12,xxx mi, Model 3 LR vin 008xxx, while driving no errors -- severely reduced power on the road
- My other friend's Model 3 LR vin 0018xxx rear drive unit failed on his driveway with errors

Let me get this straight. You own a Model 3. And you also have two friends that have Model 3's. O.K., fair enough. Coincidently, all three of your rear drive units failed.

I don't believe you.

 

[PDA64]

You have the (somewhat dubious) privilege of being the first case of a dead model 3 drive unit I've read about.

Of course, that means we wrong have any ideas what's wrong until Tesla tells you.

They probably haven't seen it before, either - that's why they want to keep the car for a bit I bet.

Replacing a drive unit is much, much easier than replacing an engine in a typical car, should only take them a couple hours - once they have a replacement ready for your car, but since this hasn't really been happening I doubt the service center has spares in inventory.

I took delivery of a model 3 on 5/2. Drive unit failed the next day with 90 miles on it. Unreal!!! I returned it and bought another and no problems so far. Any other car, i would have returned and walked away but love the M3. Alreadygot ny down payment back on the first one.

You have the (somewhat dubious) privilege of being the first case of a dead model 3 drive unit I've read about.

Of course, that means we wrong have any ideas what's wrong until Tesla tells you.

They probably haven't seen it before, either - that's why they want to keep the car for a bit I bet.

Replacing a drive unit is much, much easier than replacing an engine in a typical car, should only take them a couple hours - once they have a replacement ready for your car, but since this hasn't really been happening I doubt the service center has spares in inventory.

 

[Kenypowa]

Let me get this straight. You own a Model 3. And you also have two friends that have Model 3's. O.K., fair enough. Coincidently, all three of your rear drive units failed.

I don't believe you.

First post, no less.

 

[Venkateshwara]

So with around 7600 miles on the clock on my P3D+, the rear drive unit has failed.

Worth noting that I took delivery during 3rd quarter in 2018 (THE quarter when Tesla was pushing HARD to crank these out), AND I have self-installed an aftermarket sub/amp system. For what its worth, I've installed audio systems in my own cars for the last 8 cars and while that doesn't make me a pro, I also like to think I did it right/clean.

The short: rear drive unit failed, they're replacing the entire unit, i feel l

Full story:
My wife charged up to 100% on this trip as she was going far. When the battery was at around 56%, she felt what she described as the rear "dragging". During this time a message pops up saying "Rear drive unit problem, car coming to a complete stop" or something along those lines (i wasn't there). The car eventually comes to a complete stop in the middle of the road at 9pm. The message to try exiting and re-entering comes up (and doesn't work). Car won't shift into D or R. Wife calls Tesla support to explain the situation, and was told to call 911 (really?). I call Tesla myself to explain the situation, and they say they won't have a tow truck for the next 4-5 hours. While I'm trying to work out a tow with Tesla, I get a call from the wife because the police showed up and want to push the car off the road. I hang up with Tesla and walk through the steps with the wife to get it into transport mode. The car had trouble staying in transport mode, moving about a foot before the car shuts down (black screen, rear motors lock up). It took several reboots and putting into transport mode before they're able to get the car off the road. I couldn't have my wife sitting 150+ miles away by herself in the night for 4-5 hours, so I decided we'd use our our tow services with AAA to get the car to her friends house 40 miles away. The next morning, Tesla towed the car to the nearest SC. To which I got a loaner and was explained that the rear drive unit failed, it's rare, it's a big job, they'll need the car for a while as they want to monitor it after replacement, and that they'd let me know when its ready. This happened thursday night, today is Tuesday. Still waiting. They did not mention anything about the aftermarket sub or whether or not it had anything to do with the failure.

Does this change my love for the car? NO! I love it.

BUt it does leave me wanting more out of Tesla's support. I don't think tesla's response of calling 911 was appropriate. I also feel like the claims about having redundancy with having a dual motor car didn't work out here. And the fact that it kept coming OUT of transport mode can be frustrating/dangerous.

Anyways, just wanted to share as my googling of this issue has me concluded that while it has happened, it's not a super common thing.

So with around 7600 miles on the clock on my P3D+, the rear drive unit has failed.

Worth noting that I took delivery during 3rd quarter in 2018 (THE quarter when Tesla was pushing HARD to crank these out), AND I have self-installed an aftermarket sub/amp system. For what its worth, I've installed audio systems in my own cars for the last 8 cars and while that doesn't make me a pro, I also like to think I did it right/clean.

The short: rear drive unit failed, they're replacing the entire unit, i feel l

Full story:
My wife charged up to 100% on this trip as she was going far. When the battery was at around 56%, she felt what she described as the rear "dragging". During this time a message pops up saying "Rear drive unit problem, car coming to a complete stop" or something along those lines (i wasn't there). The car eventually comes to a complete stop in the middle of the road at 9pm. The message to try exiting and re-entering comes up (and doesn't work). Car won't shift into D or R. Wife calls Tesla support to explain the situation, and was told to call 911 (really?). I call Tesla myself to explain the situation, and they say they won't have a tow truck for the next 4-5 hours. While I'm trying to work out a tow with Tesla, I get a call from the wife because the police showed up and want to push the car off the road. I hang up with Tesla and walk through the steps with the wife to get it into transport mode. The car had trouble staying in transport mode, moving about a foot before the car shuts down (black screen, rear motors lock up). It took several reboots and putting into transport mode before they're able to get the car off the road. I couldn't have my wife sitting 150+ miles away by herself in the night for 4-5 hours, so I decided we'd use our our tow services with AAA to get the car to her friends house 40 miles away. The next morning, Tesla towed the car to the nearest SC. To which I got a loaner and was explained that the rear drive unit failed, it's rare, it's a big job, they'll need the car for a while as they want to monitor it after replacement, and that they'd let me know when its ready. This happened thursday night, today is Tuesday. Still waiting. They did not mention anything about the aftermarket sub or whether or not it had anything to do with the failure.

Does this change my love for the car? NO! I love it.

BUt it does leave me wanting more out of Tesla's support. I don't think tesla's response of calling 911 was appropriate. I also feel like the claims about having redundancy with having a dual motor car didn't work out here. And the fact that it kept coming OUT of transport mode can be frustrating/dangerous.

Anyways, just wanted to share as my googling of this issue has me concluded that while it has happened, it's not a super common thing.

join the

So with around 7600 miles on the clock on my P3D+, the rear drive unit has failed.

Worth noting that I took delivery during 3rd quarter in 2018 (THE quarter when Tesla was pushing HARD to crank these out), AND I have self-installed an aftermarket sub/amp system. For what its worth, I've installed audio systems in my own cars for the last 8 cars and while that doesn't make me a pro, I also like to think I did it right/clean.

The short: rear drive unit failed, they're replacing the entire unit, i feel l

Full story:
My wife charged up to 100% on this trip as she was going far. When the battery was at around 56%, she felt what she described as the rear "dragging". During this time a message pops up saying "Rear drive unit problem, car coming to a complete stop" or something along those lines (i wasn't there). The car eventually comes to a complete stop in the middle of the road at 9pm. The message to try exiting and re-entering comes up (and doesn't work). Car won't shift into D or R. Wife calls Tesla support to explain the situation, and was told to call 911 (really?). I call Tesla myself to explain the situation, and they say they won't have a tow truck for the next 4-5 hours. While I'm trying to work out a tow with Tesla, I get a call from the wife because the police showed up and want to push the car off the road. I hang up with Tesla and walk through the steps with the wife to get it into transport mode. The car had trouble staying in transport mode, moving about a foot before the car shuts down (black screen, rear motors lock up). It took several reboots and putting into transport mode before they're able to get the car off the road. I couldn't have my wife sitting 150+ miles away by herself in the night for 4-5 hours, so I decided we'd use our our tow services with AAA to get the car to her friends house 40 miles away. The next morning, Tesla towed the car to the nearest SC. To which I got a loaner and was explained that the rear drive unit failed, it's rare, it's a big job, they'll need the car for a while as they want to monitor it after replacement, and that they'd let me know when its ready. This happened thursday night, today is Tuesday. Still waiting. They did not mention anything about the aftermarket sub or whether or not it had anything to do with the failure.

Does this change my love for the car? NO! I love it.

BUt it does leave me wanting more out of Tesla's support. I don't think tesla's response of calling 911 was appropriate. I also feel like the claims about having redundancy with having a dual motor car didn't work out here. And the fact that it kept coming OUT of transport mode can be frustrating/dangerous.

Anyways, just wanted to share as my googling of this issue has me concluded that while it has happened, it's not a super common thing.

join the club, my rear ludicrous motors only lasted 6k miles

 

[bebop4jim]

No one wants to deal with car problems, especially while driving late at night. Tesla needs to focus on improving roadside assistance and parts availability. The more cars they build, the more breakdowns they need to be ready and able to service. Cars fail; that's life. That's also why manufacturers offer warranties and Roadside assistance

 

[UFO_FPV]

Noooo. That's some bad luck. Hope it gets worked out quick. I am still trying to get them to fix the issues I had with my paint when I picked it up. 3 months later..

 

[ChrisH]

Let me get this straight. You own a Model 3. And you also have two friends that have Model 3's. O.K., fair enough. Coincidently, all three of your rear drive units failed.

I don't believe you.

There’s been a lot more egregious things posted here. I’ve seen some videos on YouTube that seem to hint that Tesla has a relatively unknown drive unit failure issue. They have maybe got better over time but I’m guessing there are still issues.

 

[ricksastro]

Has anyone seen a case where the Rear motor fails and the Front allows you to still limp along? I've not. I've seen cases of the front failing and the rear able to limp, but not the other way around.

Tesla to this day claims on the website "Your car can drive on either motor, so you never need to worry about getting stuck on the road.", but based on above, having the extra front motor gives you no redundant benefit.

 

[bigroccrek]

Just yesterday I had my AWD Model 3 put up a message "Power is reduced Front motor is disabled, see Tesla Service" the car would still drive but did have reduced power. Called Tesla Service and they had me reboot which fixed the problem. I am sure it will come back. We (my wife and I) are on a trip about 500 miles from home. So far it hasn't come back, but I am sure it will

 

[StealthP3D]

There’s been a lot more egregious things posted here. I’ve seen some videos on YouTube that seem to hint that Tesla has a relatively unknown drive unit failure issue.

It doesn't surprise me one bit.

I'm sure most people are aware that there is an army of people out there trying to make Tesla fail (or at least impact their stock price). This is no secret, it has been going on for nearly 10 years now.

 

[ChrisH]

It doesn't surprise me one bit.

I'm sure most people are aware that there is an army of people out there trying to make Tesla fail (or at least impact their stock price). This is no secret, it has been going on for nearly 10 years now.

But you also know about early model S owners that had to have like 3+ drive unit replacements right?

 

[mswlogo]

Why? Do you know of ANY non-Tesla car, gas or electric, that has an unlimited mile drivetrain warranty?

I didn't think so. But Tesla is known for having top-tier warranties. The LR Model 3 has an 8 year/120,000 mile drivetrain warranty (including the battery). I don't know of any warranty, from any competitor (gas or electric), that is better than that.

So it's curious why this doesn't inspire confidence. Unless you just want to spread negativity about Tesla in general.

I think it's fair to be concerned.

120K miles isn't that far for some folks. Especially with today's ICE engine longevity. Couple decades ago I considered anything over 100K on borrowed time. Today I consider that 200K. Just about any ICE engine that is well maintained should go 200K. And if it doesn't it's rarely completely blown. Might need new valve job or something. Blown engines do happen of course that require full replacement.

The Electric Motors are not very servable. It's all or nothing and very expensive to replace.

I hope Tesla offers an extended warranty soon for the Model 3. Because some people will be hitting the 50K (bumper to bumper) miles soon. I personally will probably get the full 8 years out of it because I expect to only put 12K a year and will definitely sign up for extended warranty. If I don't see it by 3 years and 36K miles I'll probably sell it.

I've been on the Jeep forums for 5-6 years. I don't recall one blown engine post. Plenty of lemons and buy backs but no blown engines.
In 8 months I've seen half a dozen blown drive units on Telsa's. Everyone covered under warranty.

I wonder if there are any stats on Performance, Ludicrous, etc. if there is any correlation. Probably not enough stats to judge (which is a good thing).

I'm not that worried but I will stay ahead of it.

 

[F14Scott]

Curious about the "middle of the road" part. Was she unable to maneuver to the side of the road / shoulder, when she got the drive warning? Was she trying to limp along and didn't pursue pulling over? Being stopped in traffic at night is such a dangerous situation.

 

[Saghost]

But you also know about early model S owners that had to have like 3+ drive unit replacements right?

Yup, but Tesla learned a lot over the years, and the meter designs don't have that history - and the performance cars built the last few years with updated versions of the same design also don't have that sort of failure rate.

 

[JRP3]

The Electric Motors are not very servable. It's all or nothing and very expensive to replace.

There are only two bearings which might wear out, not that hard to replace them. More likely is a failure of an electronic component in the inverter, which should also not be that difficult to swap out, or just replace the inverter as a whole unit.

 

[GregD60]

I think it's fair to be concerned.

120K miles isn't that far for some folks. Especially with today's ICE engine longevity. Couple decades ago I considered anything over 100K on borrowed time. Today I consider that 200K. Just about any ICE engine that is well maintained should go 200K. And if it doesn't it's rarely completely blown. Might need new valve job or something. Blown engines do happen of course that require full replacement.

The Electric Motors are not very servable. It's all or nothing and very expensive to replace.

I hope Tesla offers an extended warranty soon for the Model 3. Because some people will be hitting the 50K (bumper to bumper) miles soon. I personally will probably get the full 8 years out of it because I expect to only put 12K a year and will definitely sign up for extended warranty. If I don't see it by 3 years and 36K miles I'll probably sell it.

I've been on the Jeep forums for 5-6 years. I don't recall one blown engine post. Plenty of lemons and buy backs but no blown engines.
In 8 months I've seen half a dozen blown drive units on Telsa's. Everyone covered under warranty.

I wonder if there are any stats on Performance, Ludicrous, etc. if there is any correlation. Probably not enough stats to judge (which is a good thing).

I'm not that worried but I will stay ahead of it.

To be fair, you'd have to compare the total number of broken motors, transmissions, transfer cases and differentials on a Jeep to the number of broken drive units on a Model 3. A drive unit is more than just an electric motor.