Blog Tesla Settles Suit Over Model S Battery Voltage Reduction

Tesla has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit claiming a software update reduced maximum battery voltage in 1,743 Model S sedans.

The settlement will amount to pay out $625 to each owner affected. 

Tesla has also attempted to fix the issue for owners. A Reuters report said the voltage limitation was temporary, with a 10% reduction lasting about 3 months, and a smaller 7% reduction lasting another 7 months before the corrective update was released in March 2020.

The report quoted settlement documents where Tesla data shows 1,552 vehicles had maximum battery voltage fully restored and 57 have had battery replacements and for other vehicles, the maximum voltage should continue to be restored over time, the settlement documents said.

The suite was originally filed in 2019. Of the $1.5 million settlement, $410,000 will be used to pay attorney fees.

 

[WhiteWi]

Also range in miles is inconsistent on both S and 3 that we own. I set it to % and stopped worrying about it. Most superchargers are 100-150 miles apart at least on the east coast. We have done multiple 1800 miles round trips and never had any problems reaching superchargers. It’s a personal choice to be obsessed with range and degradation. We have warranty on the battery and pretty good one that is all that matters.

 

[glide]

So, how do we know which cars are eligible for the settlement?

You have to rely on the proven liars at Tesla to be honest about whether you are impacted.

 

[rooter]

You have to rely on the proven liars at Tesla to be honest about whether you are impacted.

Yankee Doodle came to town,
A-riding on a pony.
Put a feather in his cap,
And called it Macaroni.

Now what kind of cryptic covert message is this conveying? That Yankees are going to mount a coup of the South? And is 'feather' code for gun and 'cap' code for pants? Does 'Macaroni' actually mean 'marconi' (radio) and if so what's it used for?

 

[gmo43]

Only reason I joined this forum is bc official one was closed down.

You consider 2 years temporary? lmfao

 

[WhiteWi]

You consider 2 years temporary? lmfao

I consider that only small % of people were really affected vs shorts claims.

 

[dannycamps]

The lesson here that Tesla still hasn't learned is that communication is a lot cheaper. Had they alerted those affected that they have an issue they are trying to address and fix and temporarily there will be a limited charge level I doubt any of this would have happened. Lying isn't the solution and they do it pretty often.

This. Had Tesla straight up come out and said "We identified a potential (non-safety related) issue in your battery that may affect its longevity. We are working on a fix but we need to temporarily reduce the voltage while we work on it. We will restore your voltage once the fix is ready", I think most people would be okay with that.

 

[ayavner]

Is there a way, when looking at pre-owned model S's at a 3rd party dealer or private sale to see whether the particular unit is affected/fixed? is it reasonable to ask them to make sure it is charged to 100% and checking the range vs. expected? Or just look for a specific s/w or f/w version?

Undecided, but leaning towards 2015 model S with dual motors, but still open to new data.

 

[David29]

I'm going to say the things people aren't willing say. Tesla burned their early adopters because they don't need them anymore. Tesla was always the scummy company from the beginning. They just needed the early adopters to prevent them from going out of business. Hence why they bend over backward for those owners in the early days. Now that they are solvent, they have no loyalty to those who helped them before. They got musketeers and Tesla fan boi pumping their stock and spreading the gospel to drown out those who got the short end of the stick. I have come to this realization about Tesla and no longer endorse their product or brand. People just need to wake up and see Tesla for what it really is. Just another company out to make a bucks off the ignorant and unaware. If they can't extract anymore dollars from you, there is no reason for them to appease or help you.

Sorry to say that I am beginning to come around to that point of view, as well. My own experience has been good so far, but negative experience seems to be piling up.

 

[hill]

This. Had Tesla straight up come out and said "We identified a potential (non-safety related) issue in your battery that may affect its longevity. We are working on a fix but we need to temporarily reduce the voltage while we work on it. We will restore your voltage once the fix is ready", I think most people would be okay with that.

Not really - that's about the time "charge-gate" started - where charge power would drop faster if using superchargers - so you'd have to sit & wait for an extra 10 minutes or so. 2 separate issues. Personally - we were more worried about our windshield "ghosting" (per SC saying, "that's normal) on the Model X to worry about the smaller shocking things. Like not being able to have air suspension high w/out the 1/2 shafts ultimately grenading.
.

 

[glide]

Not really - that's about the time "charge-gate" started - where charge power would drop faster if using superchargers - so you'd have to sit & wait for an extra 10 minutes or so. 2 separate issues. Personally - we were more worried about our windshield "ghosting" (per SC saying, "that's normal) on the Model X to worry about the smaller shocking things. Like not being able to have air suspension high w/out the 1/2 shafts ultimately grenading.
.

Lolz! Extra 10 minutes?! Yeah…right…

 

[dannycamps]

Not really - that's about the time "charge-gate" started - where charge power would drop faster if using superchargers - so you'd have to sit & wait for an extra 10 minutes or so. 2 separate issues. Personally - we were more worried about our windshield "ghosting" (per SC saying, "that's normal) on the Model X to worry about the smaller shocking things. Like not being able to have air suspension high w/out the 1/2 shafts ultimately grenading.
.

Same point though. If Tesla was upfront about these issues instead of denying them or waiting for their hand to be forced (e.g. like with the MCU1 failures), there would be a lot more goodwill/trust with customers.

 

[WilsonWilbur85]

Probably Tesla’s way of minimizing their payout. As a settlement maybe they agreed something like ’we will compensate owners who suffered an instant range drop greater than 15%’. Unfortunately as ucmndd notes this is unlikely to help those of us who were more affected by reduced charging speeds. By not being explicit on the criteria Tesla gets a lot of wiggle room to deny claims.

Its sad to see Tesla burn off so much good will among us early supporters.

How do you know if your car was effected. I have a 2014 P85 that was the target car and battery. Is there a way I can submit my VIN to see if mine is included on the list.

 

[WilsonWilbur85]

So, how do we know which cars are eligible for the settlement?

Did you figure this out?

 

[Rockster]

I got my $600 check in the mail a couple months ago for the eMMC repair done by a 3rd party. Maybe you just didn't fill out the request form or provide proper documentation, sucks to suck

A couple of months ago? Really? Darn. I filled out the form and and provided documentation for my 3rd party repair. I wonder why I didn't get refunded. Grrr.