Tesla Model 3 Down: Won't Power Up, and is Inaccessible

[Cheburashka]

Wow, that's unacceptable. Surprisingly, this is not the first such post and with the little amount of cars that have been produced..

I've never bought a new car and had it not start in the first 3 years that I owned it.

And you have to wait until Monday to get it potentially fixed? I don't want to buy a car that needs a backup car!

 

[DR61]

And you have to wait until Monday to get it potentially fixed?

The OP stated that he would wait for a ranger rather than do a jump start as described in the manual.

I have seen numerous reports of a similar problem with new Ford plug-in hybrids starting in 2013, which also have a very small 12V that just powers up the electronics. Also a few similar cases with recent year Volvos.

 

[omgwtfbyobbq]

I am worried something like this would happen to my X/3 and Tesla would blame my dashcam to be the culprit. (They blamed my dashcam installation when the rear AC vent stopped working properly on the X---had to $$$).

Hopefully it is a simple fix...I never had any 12V issues on my X or 3...but the 3 does seem to make a bunch of noises.

What in the $youknowwhat? I'd push them on this, even if you've already paid for a repair. It's on the manufacturer to prove a modification voids the warranty, not just claim it does.

 

[MP3Mike]

Do you have a source for later traction battery packs implementing a 12V output that somehow prevents load/cycles on the lead acid battery? I've seen the idea discussed.

@wk057 Is the one that said that the new packs have a 12v output that is active all the time: 75 and 75D variants increased performance from July 1st - software and hardware improvements?

 

[N5329K]

The OP stated that he would wait for a ranger rather than do a jump start as described in the manual.

I have seen numerous reports of a similar problem with new Ford plug-in hybrids starting in 2013, which also have a very small 12V that just powers up the electronics. Also a few similar cases with recent year Volvos.

Probably just a case of infant mortality. The Prius also uses a small, 12v aux battery to wake up the electronics. The one on my Gen 1 lasted thirteen years. I replaced it because I was nervous about that old battery, not because it actually failed.
Robin

 

[scaesare]

@wk057 Is the one that said that the new packs have a 12v output that is active all the time: 75 and 75D variants increased performance from July 1st - software and hardware improvements?

OK cool thanks...

 

[Big Dog]

Mark:

Perhaps your M3 believed that it was on the Falcon Heavy and shut down batteries to conserve for the trip to Mars?

 

[Twiglett]

just to add some perspective to this issue.
My Leaf 12V has failed twice and behaved in exactly the same way as the Model 3.
Completely inaccessible.
I called Nissan support the first time and they also wanted to send a wrecker truck, but I couldn't wait.
Fortunately a Leaf has a manual key so I popped the hood and recharged the 12v just enough to wake the car up.
You can do the same with the Model 3 and just recharge the 12v (Page 145 in the manual)
No big deal

 

[gekcut]

In terms of electric vehicles, saying your car is 'bricked' means that the main battery (not the 12V) is dead and non-recoverable. Can't be charged again. You're buying a new battery for your car.

Your car wasn't bricked . And be glad for that!

Could you please direct me to a glossary of electric vehicle terms. I want to be able to look up the proper use terms like "bricked" so I don't cause any consternation among the docents here by misusing them.

 

[bonnie]

Could you please direct me to a glossary of electric vehicle terms. I want to be able to look up the proper use terms like "bricked" so I don't cause any consternation among the docents here by misusing them.

Hah.

No consternation - people will correct, hopefully politely. "Bricked" will get a response, because historically, the FUD-spreaders have looked for bricked electric vehicles to use to go negative. Roadster batteries can be bricked & there were definitely headlines over that.
Tesla Battery 'Bricking': The Real Story Behind The Scare

But I'll give you a heads up on a couple easy ones:

EVSE: When you plug in your car at home/HPWC/J1772, you're using an EVSE (Elec Vehicle Supply Equip, but don't bother remembering that). Most people don't realize the charger is in your car, the charging station is supplying the electrons. So saying 'I found a new charger in the wild' MIGHT get you corrected. Go with 'I found a new charging station' and you're safe.

Tesla Dealership: You'll be told by someone that Tesla doesn't have dealerships, but rather stores. Does it matter? Yes, I guess. You may or may not be aware of the various state battles because Tesla doesn't operate traditional independently-owned dealerships, but rather owns their own stores.​

For the most part, I look at the misuse as more along the lines of using 'they're' when it should have been 'their' and just move on by. But misuse of the term 'bricked' with EVs is somewhat sensitive, precisely because of the history associated with it. A bricked car made headlines, and not positive headlines. And the bricking was always due to an owner mistake or just plain not paying attention.

Model S, X, 3 are not easily bricked (even with owner abuse) like the Roadster was/is -- so when I see a thread title saying a Model 3 was bricked, it gets my attention. And the attention of every original Roadster owner on this forum. We lived through the headlines.

 

[MarkS22]

The OP stated that he would wait for a ranger rather than do a jump start as described in the manual.

I have seen numerous reports of a similar problem with new Ford plug-in hybrids starting in 2013, which also have a very small 12V that just powers up the electronics. Also a few similar cases with recent year Volvos.

No, that's not what I said. I talked to Tesla several times, explaining the problem in detail. The reason I'm not jump starting the vehicle is because Tesla didn't instruct me to jump start the vehicle. I take the service center's instructions over the manual because they have more details about the situation. (They did also offer to get me a loaner car, but I told them it was unnecessary because I have other transportation.) Note that it's highly unlikely a vehicle would drain its 12 volt so soon unless (1) the battery itself is defective or (2) some other part responsible for keeping the 12 volt charged isn't working properly. The fact is, jump starting may turn the vehicle on, but it wouldn't necessarily fix the underlying issue. I want a long-term fix, not just to get the car running immediately.

They originally were going to get a towing service to flatbed the vehicle, but there were concerns among all involved (Tesla, towing company, and myself) about not being able to put the car in tow mode and potentially damaging something. I suspect they want a Tesla technician there to analyze the situation, potentially jump start it, get it into tow mode, and then safely transport to the Service Center.

 

[TexasEV]

Could you please direct me to a glossary of electric vehicle terms. I want to be able to look up the proper use terms like "bricked" so I don't cause any consternation among the docents here by misusing them.

How about you just use plain English to describe something if you don’t know the jargon? As Bonnie said, “bricked” has such a negative connotation it’s basically clickbait— as we know that Teslas after the Roadster have a battery management system that should not allow the car to be bricked. Saying a EV was bricked means it has permanent damage to the battery so that it’s just a large, heavy paperweight at that point. The term perpetuates negative stereotypes of EVs from a decade ago which is why Tesla owners and enthusiasts take such offense to its misuse. Now you know.

 

[MarkS22]

Model S, X, 3 are not easily bricked (even with owner abuse) like the Roadster was/is -- so when I see a thread title saying a Model 3 was bricked, it gets my attention. And the attention of every original Roadster owner on this forum. We lived through the headlines.

I agree with not using the term bricked lightly for the main battery because of the stories back in 2012, but it's still possible for any vehicle (not just an EV) to be "bricked" through a firmware or hardware error. I most definitely wasn't trying to spread misinformation. In other Tesla forums, the word bricked is used to describe situations like I'm experiencing.

That said, I appreciate you and others for pointing this out. My intention wasn't to bring back memories of the very isolated incidents--ten or fewer, from what I understand---of neglected batteries from six years ago. I do admit I didn't realize it was such a potentially contentious word to Roadster owners. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[MarkS22]

How about you just use plain English to describe something if you don’t know the jargon? As Bonnie said, “bricked” has such a negative connotation it’s basically clickbait— as we know that Teslas after the Roadster have a battery management system that should not allow the car to be bricked. Saying a EV was bricked means it has permanent damage to the battery so that it’s just a large, heavy paperweight at that point. The term perpetuates negative stereotypes of EVs from a decade ago which is why Tesla owners and enthusiasts take such offense to its misuse. Now you know.

It's Tesla users who have changed the meaning of bricked. In plain English, it's not related to batteries at all. As noted in Wikipedia: "The word "brick", when used in reference to consumer electronics, describes an electronic device such as a smartphone, game console, router, or tablet computer that, due to severe physical damage, a serious misconfiguration, corrupted firmware, or a hardware problem, can no longer function, hence, is as technologically useful as a brick."

I think it's an accurate description of my current situation, as well as how I've always used it. While I was vaguely aware of "battery bricking," I genuinely had no idea is was still a term that's solely relegated to "permanent damage to the battery system." What would we call a vehicle that won't start because of corrupted firmware or a broken piece of hardware, for example?

That said, I'm happy to avoid using the word if it's taken the wrong way here.

 

[MarkS22]

Mark:
Perhaps your M3 believed that it was on the Falcon Heavy and shut down batteries to conserve for the trip to Mars?

If they need a Model 3 to go in the next Falcon Heavy, I volunteer as tribute!

 

[bonnie]

What would be call a vehicle that won't start because of corrupted firmware or a broken piece of hardware, for example?

A non-working vehicle that requires service. Just like an ICE vehicle that needs service.

 

[MP3Mike]

@MarkS22 I think the reason most of us object to the term "bricked" is that it usually means that the device is unrecoverable and has to be thrown away/recycled. You do not yet know if your car is recoverable or not. (Very likely it is.)

 

[MarkS22]

A non-working vehicle that requires service.

That's like six times as many letters to type, though.

 

[bonnie]

It's Tesla users who have changed the meaning of bricked. In plain English, it's not related to batteries at all. As noted in Wikipedia: "The word "brick", when used in reference to consumer electronics, describes an electronic device such as a smartphone, game console, router, or tablet computer that, due to severe physical damage, a serious misconfiguration, corrupted firmware, or a hardware problem, can no longer function, hence, is as technologically useful as a brick."

Right. And a bricked vehicle is only useful as a brick. Non-repairable. Battery only useful as a paperweight. I'm well aware that only a handful of Roadsters were bricked, but it wasn't just a handful of articles and headlines about it.

At EV events, we've all had to deal with folks who only saw the headlines & would make comments like 'I heard it's really easy to brick this car & you have to replace the battery constantly'. The FUD worked. A large segment of the general public still vaguely remembers this. It's not that Roadster owners are overly sensitive. It's that we have dealt with the fallout from the use of the term.

 

[bonnie]

That's like six times as many letters to type, though.

What would you call an ICE vehicle if it quit working and needed service?