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Taken 2021 Model Y in to service center 4 times in last month for "Powertrain needs servicing,", still unresolved - Anyone on the other side of this?

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Started with DIR_a149 error, and limited speed to anywhere from 71-50 mph. The first time we took it in, the service center said they found the problem and it was a sensor. Fair enough.

Same message popped up a day later. The next two times they replaced the oil pump in the rear motor.

The fourth time they dug deeper and replaced the RCfront module saying it was having some problems, but the issue still is unfixed, popping up again today.

The service center has been accommodating, and has given us loaner vehicles each time, but the issue still hasn't been fixed properly. Wondering if anyone has been through the mill for this problem and actually gotten to the bottom of it, hoping to point my techs in the right direction.
 
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A bit more info, powercycling the vehicle doesn't seem to help, the message persists through deep sleeps, and only has gone away when we take it into the service center, but only for a day or two at the most before it rears its ugly head. Had virtually zero problems with the car for a year and a half until this popped up. Would be great to get my reliable car back
 
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Well as much as i hate to say it i would look up lemon law rules for your state and start down that path…as that will normally get someone higher up involved and maybe Get it fixed once and for all…if they have replaced the pumps and still get the error that would lead me to believe one of 2 things as its a “Flow” issue that didn’t recover From what i read…
1. There’s an obstruction in the oil line/tubes causing it not to flow like it expects.
2. a controller or sensor failure.
 
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I know how frustrating it is to have to keep taking it back. I had a suspension noise on mine and they kept balancing the wheels and then lubricated the axles. Finally the 4th service visit they kept the car for about 10 days and determined the driver side strut assembly was the source.

Keep taking it back is the best advice I can give you. You should get some legal advice if you plan to do the lemon route before sending letters. Once you threaten lemon law they may try to start blaming everything on you.
 
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My daughter had the opposite result with the lemon law. Once she filed a lemon law application with Tesla, her problems got magically fixed.
I believe it. To me Tesla is like an insurance company when it comes to repairs. They delay as long as possible. Helps the bottom like but for customer loyalty not so much.

The head tech will be authorized to spend more time on the vehicle. Still keep documentation of all your interactions with service and save all your invoices. If it doesn't get resolved lemon law might be your only option.

The techs and staff at the SC are good. Their hands are tied by Tesla policies.
 
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Alright, for anyone in the future who comes across this with the same problem, here is what was wrong with my car.

The oil pump itself was apparently fine, but there was a damaged terminal at the rear oil pump connector, they replaced the terminal and everything has been working great for 2 weeks, and fingers crossed, for a long time.

Best of luck to anyone reading this.
 
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Interesting, thank you for the update. I’m having the exact same issue on my ‘21 M3 LR AWD. It was great for 1.5 years. Then the oil pump failure (DIR_a149). I had the pump replaced in Sept of 2022. It was fine for 3 months. Now the same error is back (DIR_a149).

Tried to schedule service but my local SC is not very responsive and I don’t have time at the moment to play appointment tag.

Hoping I can get this fixed once and for all. I still think there’s a related, underlying software glitch/changed behavior which is contributing, too.

I should add that the first pump was replaced at 53K miles. Then the error recurred at 62K miles.
 
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Hi,
We just had this fault yesterday afternoon - “Powertrain needs service” message came on screen and I was limited to 90 km/h top speed!
On way to service centre this morning - car was all normal!
Took it to our local Tesla service centre in Abu Dhabi this morning and they diagnosed either a faulty connection or a faulty oil pump on rear motor.
They changed the pump and got the car back after a few hours wait.
Now need to see if it is properly “‘fixed”
Cheers
Steve
 
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My car is schedule for service on Thursday. SC claims they have the parts on hand (surprisingly) we'll see. Fingers crossed.

Factory resetting the car did nothing. Multiple rounds of shutdown/deep sleep will usually clear the error for a while. Interesting, my car (oil pump / oil pump communication) only seems to act up / act up more often when it is wet/damp outside. This suggests an issue with the harness connector.

I still feel like there's a software / startup sequence related issue. I've never, ever had the error come up mid drive. It only ever comes up on start up. And it seems to be somewhat related to the car post / startup sequence ("aka the dashboard lights") and how quickly I put it into drive.

Seems like a simple "retry" in the software logic would probably fix it. I feel like something was changed in software build 2022.24 which caused the software to start checking the status of the oil pump (or introduced a timing/communication bug) that still hasn't been fixed.
 
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Got my car back last night. The Eatontown, NJ SC is so much better than Princeton! So much better follow up, pro active communication, thoroughly investigating issues.

So it turns out there was a burnt connector pin and a loose connector pin in the oil pump wiring harness. It sounds like they spliced in a new connector harness. They separately tested the pump (which was replaced in Sept) and they said it was fine. So fingers crossed.

Separately I had them replace my 2.5yr old 12V. I was starting to see occasional low voltage warnings in the service menu. $113 all in (nice).

I also had them re-align my headlights and high beams. Unfortunately, the high beams aren’t really adjustable. My right one is defective—it lights but points abnormally down. The only option is replacing the entire LED headlight assembly ($1200) as I’m past the 50K warranty. I declined as I rarely use the high beams anyway.
 
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Old thread but I'll bring it up:
Same thing happened to us a couple of nights ago.
Damp weather for a few days. Arrived at the hotel, and when the car was parked I got the “Powertrain needs service” message.
I put in a service request at about 7:30 pm and sent them a photo of the error. Fortunately they responded the next morning at 8:30 am.
Being 300 miles from home but only 36 miles to the service center I had the option to bring the car in right away.
Service center in Liberty Lake, WA was just super! They couldn't get to the car until the following week, but gave us a loaner.
We were in and out within 15 min or so and on our way back to Montana. They updated the appointment to get it fixed sooner than expected.
It was a sort of a Win Win situation for both the service center, and us. The cost of a tow truck for the pick up of our car at our home town plus the return of our car would have been a 1200 mile tow bill. (the first time our car needed repair for the heating failure - that's what they did.}
So we will return with the loaner next week and swap out the two car. Keeping our fingers crossed...
 
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Update:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Repair Notes: Technician verified customer's concern of "drivetrain needs servicing and power
would be reduced. This happened about 01/31 - 6:45 PM Pacific standard time" Technician found
rear oil pump not properly communicating. Technician replaced oil pump and took vehicle for test
drive. Vehicle operating as expected at this time.

Correction: General Diagnosis

Correction: Oil Pump - Rear Drive Unit (3DU) (Remove & Replace) - Remove and Replace
Parts Replaced or Added
Part Quantity
OIL FITER - DRIVE
UNIT(1618882-00-A) 1.00


ELECTRIC OIL PUMP-
TESLA(1108202-00-M) 1.00

Correction: Gearbox Fluid - Rear Drive Unit (3DU) (Drain and Refill) - Remove and Replace
Parts Replaced or Added
Part Quantity
EDF, M3, LITER,
Service, SK,
Lubricant(1452825-00-A) 2.30
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Will go back the 300 miles with loaner car on Monday.
Pretty fast service if you ask me.
Tesla service center in Liberty Lake, WA is Awesome!
 
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New UPDATE:
Damp weather for a few days. Arrived at the hotel in Worley Idaho, and when the car was parked I got the “Powertrain needs service” message.
I put in a service request at about 7:30 pm and sent them a photo of the error. Fortunately they responded the next morning at 8:30 am.
Being 300 miles from home but only 36 miles to the service center I had the option to bring the car in right away. They couldn't get to the car until the following week, but gave us a loaner. We were in and out within 15 min or so and on our way back to Montana. They updated the appointment to get it fixed sooner than expected. It was a sort of a Win Win situation for both the service center, and us. The cost of a tow truck for the pick up of our car at our home town plus the return of our car would have been a 1200 mile tow bill. (the first time our car needed repair for the heating failure - that's what they did.}
We went back to retrieve car on Monday afternoon. Left for home and decided to check the notifications page. Noticed a code that said the 'oil pump needs servicing' warning. Got about 2 blocks and returned to service center. They took us right back in. I was going to return for our car before 5pm. but got a message from the center that they also found a coolant leak, and the car wouldn't be ready until 11am the next morning. During the that afternoon and the next morning (Tuesday) they also replaced the front oil pump, supermanifold assembly, and a couple of air conditioning lines. And as a courtesy they even replaced our wiper blades and cabin filters! The young technician took it for a test drive to verify everything was OK. We were on our way home at about noon. All is well now...
I can't say enough for ALL the staff at the Liberty Lake location! Spotlessly clean and inviting location. John the service liaison took us by the hand and bent over backward to make sure we were taken care of. He even wanted us to take a new model S or X for loaner that afternoon. (We did decline, as the model Y we had already for a loaner was just fine.) The young sales rep in the showroom showed us the new model 3 demo that they had - very impressive. She was very sweet an accommodating. Once again, I can't express my greatest regard for the staff at the Tesla facility in Liberty Lake!
 
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Well ---- it's back! Bummer. Two weeks after the 'repair' it returns. And when it said that it was limited to 56 mph it meant it!
NOT good in an 80 mph zone. I put in another service request. I'm hoping this is a software glitch.
IMG_4515.jpeg
 
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Could alot of stuff. The coolant flow valve could be an issue as well. Not enough coolant and pressure. Could be wiring issue where a connector isn't attached properly. On the Model S/X, when the message occurs, it's related to the cooling system. Either the 3 way valve or 4 way valve or the pump.

The service center just uses the parts cannon thinking it's the drive motor that is the culprit. Not sure if they've looked at other components working as inputs to the motor and output.
 
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Could alot of stuff. The coolant flow valve could be an issue as well. Not enough coolant and pressure. Could be wiring issue where a connector isn't attached properly. On the Model S/X, when the message occurs, it's related to the cooling system. Either the 3 way valve or 4 way valve or the pump.

The service center just uses the parts cannon thinking it's the drive motor that is the culprit. Not sure if they've looked at other components working as inputs to the motor and output.
Two weeks ago they also found a coolant leak and replaced the supermanifold as well as the front oil pump. This issue has only cropped up when it is cold outside. Last night it thru the code when it was 24 degrees outside, and I was on the interstate (it was a long slow ride home. ) However - I took the car for a ride this morning when it was 19 degrees, and it ran fine. I can't seem to replicate it with any consistency. I think this time they have to come and get the car. I don't think I can trust it for the 300 mile trip to the service center.
 
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