I recently took delivery of a 2022 Model X Plaid on 6/9/2022 in Seattle, WA. The car was not driven from 6/9/2022 until 7/9/2022 as we were out of town during that time.
Since we began driving the car, we have had two catastrophic electrical failures of our vehicle in unsafe conditions. The first was on 7/10/2022, when we had an emergency warning stating that the low voltage battery was not functioning properly and the car was about to shut down. We were on the highway and trying to get to the closest Tesla service center. The car literally shut down on the highway exit and we barely managed to pull off the side of the road and park the car. This was in high speed traffic. We had the car towed to the service center, and the next day on 7/11/2022, the Tesla technicians evaluated the car and determined that the 12V battery needed to be replaced. Additionally, one of the plastic panels on the trunk door had fallen off during normal use, and we had the techs fix that as well.
We took the vehicle back the following day on 7/12/2022. The car drove without any issues from 7/12-7/20/2022. On 7/21/2022, while driving in the afternoon, the HUD and infotainment screens both shut down abruptly with no warning. The car was still operable during this time. I pulled over and restarted the screens by pushing the two scroll wheels, and the screens became functional again. On 7/22/2022 at 4PM while driving, I received another warning that the low voltage battery was not functional. This warning went away after 5 seconds. I took the car to our local Tesla service center (different one from the first one we went to). The techs there took a look at the car quickly (as it was close to closing time), and I was told that they reset the 12V battery. They said that the car should be okay to drive home, and that if the warning came up again, to bring the car back to the service center on Monday 7/25/2022.
Our house is located on top of a hill next to a high traffic road. While driving up this road at 4:55PM, the car suddenly lost all power. I was able to coast to a stop in the right lane, but because I was on a hill, I had to step on the brake to prevent the car from rolling backwards. There was no way to put the car in park, or activate the parking brake because the car had no power. I was unable to even open the door or turn on the emergency lights during this time. I used the Tesla app to ask for roadside assistance, and called the Tesla service center I had just come from during this time. The service center dispatched two techs to jump my 12V battery so that I could put the car in park and also get out of the vehicle. This took around 30 minutes, during which time I was stepping on the brake the entire time. The techs were able to jump the 12V battery, and at around 6:10PM the dispatched tow truck arrived and we were able to load up the car and take it to the service center. During the time while we were waiting for the tow, the techs were running preliminary diagnostics on the car and reported that it appeared to be a problem with the front drive train, resulting in a blown fuse in the electrical system.
Regardless of the problem, this is unacceptable for a brand new $150K car to have such catastrophic issues occur twice within <2 months of owning the vehicle. There are less than 400 miles driven on the car. Both situations during which time the car became inoperable were extremely unsafe. The second time, I had no way of even parking the vehicle, exiting, or activating my emergency lights because of the shut down. We have a 10 month old baby that we routinely drive in the car, and feel unsafe to travel with him in case something like this happens again. If the shut down had occurred at night, it is highly likely that we would have been involved in an accident as the car would not have been visible because there were no lights on.
Not sure how to proceed at this time. We've sent an email detailing the situation to Tesla, and are trying to decide if we want a complete refund, or a replacement vehicle as the one we have is obviously a lemon. Thinking about seeking legal counsel as well.
Any thoughts?
Since we began driving the car, we have had two catastrophic electrical failures of our vehicle in unsafe conditions. The first was on 7/10/2022, when we had an emergency warning stating that the low voltage battery was not functioning properly and the car was about to shut down. We were on the highway and trying to get to the closest Tesla service center. The car literally shut down on the highway exit and we barely managed to pull off the side of the road and park the car. This was in high speed traffic. We had the car towed to the service center, and the next day on 7/11/2022, the Tesla technicians evaluated the car and determined that the 12V battery needed to be replaced. Additionally, one of the plastic panels on the trunk door had fallen off during normal use, and we had the techs fix that as well.
We took the vehicle back the following day on 7/12/2022. The car drove without any issues from 7/12-7/20/2022. On 7/21/2022, while driving in the afternoon, the HUD and infotainment screens both shut down abruptly with no warning. The car was still operable during this time. I pulled over and restarted the screens by pushing the two scroll wheels, and the screens became functional again. On 7/22/2022 at 4PM while driving, I received another warning that the low voltage battery was not functional. This warning went away after 5 seconds. I took the car to our local Tesla service center (different one from the first one we went to). The techs there took a look at the car quickly (as it was close to closing time), and I was told that they reset the 12V battery. They said that the car should be okay to drive home, and that if the warning came up again, to bring the car back to the service center on Monday 7/25/2022.
Our house is located on top of a hill next to a high traffic road. While driving up this road at 4:55PM, the car suddenly lost all power. I was able to coast to a stop in the right lane, but because I was on a hill, I had to step on the brake to prevent the car from rolling backwards. There was no way to put the car in park, or activate the parking brake because the car had no power. I was unable to even open the door or turn on the emergency lights during this time. I used the Tesla app to ask for roadside assistance, and called the Tesla service center I had just come from during this time. The service center dispatched two techs to jump my 12V battery so that I could put the car in park and also get out of the vehicle. This took around 30 minutes, during which time I was stepping on the brake the entire time. The techs were able to jump the 12V battery, and at around 6:10PM the dispatched tow truck arrived and we were able to load up the car and take it to the service center. During the time while we were waiting for the tow, the techs were running preliminary diagnostics on the car and reported that it appeared to be a problem with the front drive train, resulting in a blown fuse in the electrical system.
Regardless of the problem, this is unacceptable for a brand new $150K car to have such catastrophic issues occur twice within <2 months of owning the vehicle. There are less than 400 miles driven on the car. Both situations during which time the car became inoperable were extremely unsafe. The second time, I had no way of even parking the vehicle, exiting, or activating my emergency lights because of the shut down. We have a 10 month old baby that we routinely drive in the car, and feel unsafe to travel with him in case something like this happens again. If the shut down had occurred at night, it is highly likely that we would have been involved in an accident as the car would not have been visible because there were no lights on.
Not sure how to proceed at this time. We've sent an email detailing the situation to Tesla, and are trying to decide if we want a complete refund, or a replacement vehicle as the one we have is obviously a lemon. Thinking about seeking legal counsel as well.
Any thoughts?
