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

[mongo]

Okay, I verified this: Turns out, even without the phone nearby, the Model 3 locked, and the 12V fully charged, you can pop open the frunk with a portable power supply.

I'm starting to think they may have connected the frunk access circuit to the wrong terminal on a relay (NO instead of NC)...

Not even a week after getting my Model 3 back after the drive unit failed...

I'm stuck here at work and can't get in my car. Can't even open the frunk - tried with a 9v and two different sets of jumper cables on a 12v car battery.

I really love my car and Tesla but this is getting tiresome

 

[luckyruby]

I got hit with this issue recently which happened shortly after a software update. My VIN is in the low 6000s.

View attachment 283200

Vehicle support said it was a 12V battery issue but was perplexed at all the error messages from my car. He had never seen anything like it before. It was Sunday afternoon and apparently, no one in diagnostics was working at that time either. As we were talking, the car went offline so he had me open the door to see if the car would come back online. That turned out to be a bad idea since the window normally drops a little when opening the door and now I had a door with the window fully up that I couldn't close without damaging the chrome trim and window.

For the next hour, I tried opening the tow eye cover. The manual said to push firmly on the upper right corner until it pops open and I've seen a video of someone doing it one handed on youtube but mine wouldn't budge. If I pushed any harder, I'm certain I would've bent or snapped it in half. I ended up using a plastic pry tool on the bottom left of the cover to get it open. I'd advise everyone to have their delivery specialist demonstrate it for you when you pick up your car to make sure yours isn't like mine.

Once the cover was open, I got the frunk to open by applying 12V using a jump starter to the terminal wires inside the tow eye cavity, then removed the plastic cover and another plastic piece to get access to the 12V battery. After connecting the starter to the battery, I was able to lower the window and close the door.

View attachment 283203

I hooked up a trickle charger (12V 6A) overnight and got it to 25% when I checked on it in the morning. There were some new error messages: Airbag needs service; Parking brake needs service. They couldn't get a mobile tech out in a timely manner so we decided it'd be best to get it towed to the service center so I could get a loaner for the time being as the car was inoperable.

When the tow truck arrived, we tried putting it into transport mode but the car wouldn't let us (button was greyed out) so the tow truck driver put skates on the rear wheels and pulled the car onto the truck from the back.
View attachment 283204

I pick up the car tomorrow but here's what the service center said about the issue:

 

[stopcrazypp]

I pick up the car tomorrow but here's what the service center said about the issue:

So your issue was actually the drive unit, not the inverter or DC-DC.

 

[mongo]

So your issue was actually the drive unit, not the inverter or DC-DC.

Looks like an drive unit overcurrent fault caused the pyro fuse to activate thereby cutting all HV power.

 

[Smelias]

Hi all!

I want to let everyone know that I finally received my Model 3 back from Tesla and I couldn't be happier. They replaced the computer module and updated the firmware to the latest version. Two days in and all is great. I am soooo happy to get her back.

 

[DrLegoHair]

I pick up the car tomorrow but here's what the service center said about the issue:
View attachment 285055

Interesting. This is exactly what happened to my car the first time it was in the shop. I hadn’t seen many people post about bad drive units. Hopefully it doesn’t turn out to be more common.

 

[atokosch]

This afternoon, I opened my app to check on the Model 3's charge status. I noticed it wasn't updating and hadn't updated since before 7am, about 9 hours earlier. I went out to the car and it was completely "dead." By that I mean unresponsive with no lights or activity. Tesla was originally sending a flatbed, but because we can't get inside to put it into tow mode, we both agreed waiting for a Ranger to come on Monday would be a better option.

A quick video demonstrating what it looks like:

[[ Mod note: edited title based on OPs request to remove the term 'bricked' which caused a lot of debate. All that was known was that the car wouldn't power up, but what went wrong hasn't been determined (yet). ]]

[[ Mod note: if you want to 'cut to the chase' and skip forward we eventually got this message from MarkS22:

"Update 2:

I'm able to discuss a little more without speculating. The latest is that a firmware error was the primary contributing factor that stopped the 12V from charging as designed. A new firmware, which fixes the issue I experienced, was loaded onto the car. This appears to have remedied the error. They replaced the 12V battery (as a precaution since it was fully drained) with a brand new one and have been monitoring its charge. As of now, it's holding a charge as expected. Since I'm not in a hurry, I did say it wouldn't be a problem to keep the car over the weekend to ensure the the 12V battery behaves as expected over a longer time frame. (They'll let it sit there and monitor the charge.)

So, while it was unfortunate that it happened to me, I think it also highlights the power of the ability to rapidly update firmware in the field. In theory, this update will prevent all future cars from having the same issue." ]]

What software did they update you to? I have a Model 3 that is literally 6 days old. This happened to me today.... (I picked up on Saturday 3/17) Tesla had to tow my car from work to the service center and I was given a loaner Model S in the mean time. I am currently on 4.9 and I am eagerly awaiting 10.1, were you given 10.1 to fix the issue? If so, then I am just hoping that my 12V battery was just not being charged due to the bug. I am just trying to figure out, what it could be, I really just want my Model 3 back...
Thanks for any help in advance!

 

[MarkS22]

What software did they update you to? I have a Model 3 that is literally 6 days old. This happened to me today.... (I picked up on Saturday 3/17) Tesla had to tow my car from work to the service center and I was given a loaner Model S in the mean time. I am currently on 4.9 and I am eagerly awaiting 10.1, were you given 10.1 to fix the issue? If so, then I am just hoping that my 12V battery was just not being charged due to the bug. I am just trying to figure out, what it could be, I really just want my Model 3 back...
Thanks for any help in advance!

I was upgraded to 18.4.8 on February 19th. It should’ve been fixed. If you’d like to have your SC contact my SC to compare notes, feel free to PM me.

 

[MarkS22]

I'm starting to think they may have connected the frunk access circuit to the wrong terminal on a relay (NO instead of NC)...

Has anyone been able to duplicate this?

 

[mongo]

Has anyone been able to duplicate this?

Only cases I've read are your that eould open when 12V was present and the other which wouldn't when the 12V was dead.
@outdoors fancy testing out your tow hook cover?

 

[MikeBur]

Has anyone been able to duplicate this?

Apologies. Why do we think this is incorrect behavior? Similar to the X, the frunk is able to be accessed at all times, ie HV disconnect is via the frunk and if emergency services cannot get in vehicle then this option is always available. Same as the X it’s not a place for valuables.

I know then manual says if car is not powered up then you can use this to enter the frunk, though it doesn’t say this works only if the 12V power is off

Edit: the above is incorrect. Note as @mongo says, the manual does actually say this is NOT meant to happen if 12V power is present. Leaving as is to ensure @MP3Mike disagree remains valid

 

[mongo]

though it doesn’t say this works only if the 12V power is off

Yes, it does. Page 17 of January 3, 2018 Model 3 owner's manual:

Note: The following steps will not open the front trunk if Model 3 has 12V power.

 

[MarkS22]

Apologies. Why do we think this is incorrect behavior? Similar to the X, the frunk is able to be accessed at all times, ie HV disconnect is via the frunk and if emergency services cannot get in vehicle then this option is always available. Same as the X it’s not a place for valuables.

I know then manual says if car is not powered up then you can use this to enter the frunk, though it doesn’t say this works only if the 12V power is off

Heh. I mean, only Tesla knows the preferred behavior. They’ve know about my results since February, so it’s really on them to do what they want. The general belief was that it’s only supposed to function if 12v is dead as additional security feature over the manual/mechanical releases on the X/S. First responders have plenty of tools (like a Halligan) that can easily open a hood in an emergency. In an accident, who’s to say the mechanical release wouldn’t get mangled?

 

[MarkS22]

Only cases I've read are your that eould open when 12V was present and the other which wouldn't when the 12V was dead.
@outdoors fancy testing out your tow hook cover?

You’re not pleased with that sample size? That’s like 5% of all Model 3s delivered.

 

[mongo]

You’re not pleased with that sample size? That’s like 5% of all Model 3s delivered.

Oy! I'm not the one asking about other instances/use of the scientific method.

(5% in Michigan maybe )l

 

[MikeBur]

Yes, it does. Page 17 of January 3, 2018 Model 3 owner's manual:

I stand corrected, I just went and reread the note. Thanks for taking the time to respond, rather than just hit “disagree”... lol, I’m looking at you @MP3Mike

 

[MikeBur]

Heh. I mean, only Tesla knows the preferred behavior. They’ve know about my results since February, so it’s really on them to do what they want. The general belief was that it’s only supposed to function if 12v is dead as additional security feature over the manual/mechanical releases on the X/S. First responders have plenty of tools (like a Halligan) that can easily open a hood in an emergency. In an accident, who’s to say the mechanical release wouldn’t get mangled?

True true, and the manual does actually state that this is NOT meant to work... so, it’s a bug with the wiring, or bug with the manual...

 

[RDaneel]

Mark, is your 3 working well? I know Greg wants to get his hands on it for the paint protection, and I want him to have tons of experience before he does mine! ;-)

 

[DrLegoHair]

Has anyone been able to duplicate this?

Well, as I said in a previous post I could not open my frunk with jumper cables or a 9V when my 12V system was apparently dead..

After I got my car back and it was working fine, I was easily able to pop the frunk with the 9V method.

Still doesn’t explain why my SC said they were able to access the frunk with a jump pack??

 

[DrLegoHair]

What software did they update you to? I have a Model 3 that is literally 6 days old. This happened to me today.... (I picked up on Saturday 3/17) Tesla had to tow my car from work to the service center and I was given a loaner Model S in the mean time. I am currently on 4.9 and I am eagerly awaiting 10.1, were you given 10.1 to fix the issue? If so, then I am just hoping that my 12V battery was just not being charged due to the bug. I am just trying to figure out, what it could be, I really just want my Model 3 back...
Thanks for any help in advance!

Please keep us updated. I’ve had 12V issues similar to you but the underlying cause was said to be missing CAN messages which caused the DC converter to disconnect and kill the 12V. I asked if it could be software related and they seemed to think no.