Hi Guys, new tesla owner here. I was in park and as soon as I changed to reverse my car went forward almost hitting the wall. I had to go back to park and reverse 2 times before it worked how I was expecting it too(roll back). Has anyone experienced this in their car? I read a few cars have gone through this and supposedly this is normal. Any recommendations to avoid crashing?
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Reverse made my car go forward...
- Thread starter superh0
- Start date
“supposedly this is normal”
This is where I lost you.
This is where I lost you.
TexasTeslaRacing
Member
The 3 seems to lag when engaging D or R. My Model S never has this problem, but with the 3 I understand you dilemma. It’s as if the car rolls 5-10 feet before it stars to go in the intended direction. Very noticeable on a hill or slope. It’s happend to me a few times and I’m a cautious driver.
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
TexasTeslaRacing
Member
Had creep mode off and it moved forward a little while trying to reverse again. Guess I’ll be cautious when trying to reverse.
I had that happen to me in both directions (going back when I wanted to go forward and going forward when I wanted to go backwards); I worked on repeating the effect and found the cause, or at least a cause.
You simply need to put enough "gas" right away. Once the "hold" (parking break) disengages (you can see it disappearing on your screen), your car is effectively in neutral if you do not push on the accelerator, so if you car was parked on a slope, it would start rolling downslope. By pushing more firmly on the accelerator, you get immediate movement in the direction you wanted.
The "creep" mode (off by default) should help in that case, not hurt, as it simulates the behavior of an american automatic transmission, moving you in the direction selected even without pressing the accelerator, but I prefer the additional freedom granted by not having creep and enabling the car to roll if I want to.
(Now if what happened to you was on a level surface, then it's something else altogether.)
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
Here's an excerpt from my Driver's Ed textbook:
Step 1: Apply brake.
Step 2: Hold brake.
Step 3: Look down at your feet.
Step 4: Ask yourself: "Am I still applying the brake?" If no, return to step 1. If yes, proceed to step 5.
Step 5: Shift gears.
Step 6: Floor the accelerator.
Step 7: Ask yourself: "Am I accelerating rapidly in the right direction?" If yes, you're done. If no, proceed to step 8.
Step 8: Call insurance company to make repair arrangements. Call paramedics (optional).
Steps 1 thru 4 will help you in this situation.
Step 1: Apply brake.
Step 2: Hold brake.
Step 3: Look down at your feet.
Step 4: Ask yourself: "Am I still applying the brake?" If no, return to step 1. If yes, proceed to step 5.
Step 5: Shift gears.
Step 6: Floor the accelerator.
Step 7: Ask yourself: "Am I accelerating rapidly in the right direction?" If yes, you're done. If no, proceed to step 8.
Step 8: Call insurance company to make repair arrangements. Call paramedics (optional).
Steps 1 thru 4 will help you in this situation.
Any Tesla will roll forward or backwards, when creep is off, when the brake is not applied after putting car into drive or reverse due to gravity and overcoming rolling friction.
I've noticed, as others have, that the 3 is a bit laggier to go into reverse from park.
Pro tip - on a flat surface in a safe area try this. Make sure car is in reverse, with foot on brake, and apply gentle force to the throttle to get a feel for when the software "notices" that both pedals are pressed. This will help you understand better how much to press the throttle to get the car to move in reverse.
I've noticed, as others have, that the 3 is a bit laggier to go into reverse from park.
Pro tip - on a flat surface in a safe area try this. Make sure car is in reverse, with foot on brake, and apply gentle force to the throttle to get a feel for when the software "notices" that both pedals are pressed. This will help you understand better how much to press the throttle to get the car to move in reverse.
Assuming you Creep Mode set to OFF, I think the likely explanation for what you describe is that the Tesla drivetrain does not behave the same way an ICE car transmission does and your car moved forward because it was on a slope but you weren’t aware of it. Let me explain:
In a Tesla, when you go from Park to Reverse or Drive, with Creep Mode OFF, if your foot is not on the brake and you are not applying sufficient pressure to the accelerator pedal to cause the car to move the car will behave as if it is in neutral. That means that if the road (or your driveway) has enough slope the car will start to roll.
If Creep Mode is set to ON in that scenario the car will move backwards unless the slope is to much for the car to overcome with no pressure on the accelerator pedal.
I am willing to bet that when you went from park to reverse your foot was not on the brake (which is not safe driving practice) and you were not applying pressure to the accelerator AND you were not on level ground.
So far you have not told us if Creep was on or off at the time of the incident you describe nor have you told us if you were on level ground or on a slope.
If you depress the brake pedal enough to engage the brake “Hold” function the car will remain in place with your foot off the brake and when you change gears, as far as I know. You need to apply pressure to the accelerator pedal to make the car move. I believe that is the way my X works. Don’t have a 3 yet.
The tip offered by @Discoducky is a good one. The bottom line is that the Tesla drivetrain of course behaves differently than any ICE drivetrain and at first it can seem strange to many new owners. You need to practice using it at slow speeds in a safe area and on roads with a slope. I think it won’t take long to get the hang of it. Once you do I think you will love it! After over 4 years of driving only Teslas, the few times I have had to drive an ICE vehicle it drove me nuts with the antiquated laggy, jerky transmission and the molasses slow acceleration.
I was on a flat surface for both times. I’ll report back if it happens again. It happened with creep mode on and off.
Same here, have X, 3 on order. With my X, it is always on "Hill Hold" when I release the brake after shifting to reverse from park. The words on the screen actually tell you to press the brake again to release the hold. I can either do that, or press the accel pedal.
I am thinking maybe the model 3 does not have auto Hold with a strong press at the brake pedal?
I've never experienced this problem. Are you sure it was actually in reverse? Was the R actually bolded on the screen?
I've had a few times where I thought I moved the lever up to engage reverse but the car has stayed in park. Perhaps I didn't move the lever far enough or some other issue. Not a big deal as the car didn't move when in Park.
I've had a few times where I thought I moved the lever up to engage reverse but the car has stayed in park. Perhaps I didn't move the lever far enough or some other issue. Not a big deal as the car didn't move when in Park.
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