Thoughts on Tesla Warranty

[Bazerkly]

In another life I worked in warranty Admin for Ford and Caterpillar. In warranty there is a term, "Causal Part" aka the part that caused the failure. Usually if the "Causal" part is under warranty the entire repair is under warranty. Which brings me to TESLA's warranty. Under their basic warranty the 85kw battery and drive are covered for 8 years. The rest of the car is 4 years or 50k miles... I asked this question of TESLA and the answer I receive was that "it could never happen".

"If you had 60k miles on your Tesla, the car including the charger is out of warranty. The battery is under warranty. If the voltage regulator system in your charger failed, (The Causal Part) damaging the battery, would the battery be covered under warranty? The answer I got was that.. it wouldn't happen but they said, "that is a good question.""

My personal feelings are that a voltage regulator failing and "Frying" the battery is a real possibility. I think TESLA needs to address this question.

 

[tomas]

Exactly who did you ask? What was their level of authority?

 

[Tdriver]

My understanding is that the battery warranty is in effect regardless of what caused the failure.......including me doing something really stupid.

 

[Canuck]

My understanding is that the battery warranty is in effect regardless of what caused the failure.......including me doing something really stupid.

Almost but not quite. This is the battery limited warranty wording:

"Despite the breadth of this warranty, damage resulting from intentional abuse (including
intentionally ignoring active vehicle warnings), a collision or accident, or the servicing or opening of
the Battery by non-Tesla personnel, is not covered under this Battery Limited Warranty.
In addition, damage resulting from the following activities are not covered under this Battery
Limited Warranty:
• Exposing the vehicle to ambient temperatures above 140°F (60°C) or below -22°F (-30°C) for
more than 24 hours at a time;
• Physically damaging the Battery, or intentionally attempting, either by physical means,
programming, or other methods, to extend (other than as specified in your owner
documentation) or reduce the life of the Battery;
• Exposing the Battery to direct flame; or,
• Flooding of the Battery.
The Battery, like all lithium-ion batteries, will experience gradual energy or power loss with time and
use. Loss of Battery energy or power over time or due to or resulting from Battery usage, is NOT
covered under this Battery Limited Warranty. See your owner documentation for important
information on how to maximize the life and capacity of the Battery."

 

[donv]

In that scenario, wouldn't the battery clearly be covered under warranty? I suppose it would be a question as to whether the charger would be covered (my guess is no), but the battery absolutely should be.

In another life I worked in warranty Admin for Ford and Caterpillar. In warranty there is a term, "Causal Part" aka the part that caused the failure. Usually if the "Causal" part is under warranty the entire repair is under warranty. Which brings me to TESLA's warranty. Under their basic warranty the 85kw battery and drive are covered for 8 years. The rest of the car is 4 years or 50k miles... I asked this question of TESLA and the answer I receive was that "it could never happen".

"If you had 60k miles on your Tesla, the car including the charger is out of warranty. The battery is under warranty. If the voltage regulator system in your charger failed, (The Causal Part) damaging the battery, would the battery be covered under warranty? The answer I got was that.. it wouldn't happen but they said, "that is a good question.""

My personal feelings are that a voltage regulator failing and "Frying" the battery is a real possibility. I think TESLA needs to address this question.

 

[Bazerkly]

One thing I can tell you for a fact is, NEVER assume anything...... I spoke to the sales rep but I would love to hear from Tesla's warranty department! Car salesman love to use the term, "Bumper to Bumper Warranty"..... I have yet to ever see a real "Bumper to Bumper warranty...

 

[tcrcnsx]

In another life I worked in warranty Admin for Ford and Caterpillar. In warranty there is a term, "Causal Part" aka the part that caused the failure. Usually if the "Causal" part is under warranty the entire repair is under warranty. Which brings me to TESLA's warranty. Under their basic warranty the 85kw battery and drive are covered for 8 years. The rest of the car is 4 years or 50k miles... I asked this question of TESLA and the answer I receive was that "it could never happen".

"If you had 60k miles on your Tesla, the car including the charger is out of warranty. The battery is under warranty. If the voltage regulator system in your charger failed, (The Causal Part) damaging the battery, would the battery be covered under warranty? The answer I got was that.. it wouldn't happen but they said, "that is a good question.""

My personal feelings are that a voltage regulator failing and "Frying" the battery is a real possibility. I think TESLA needs to address this question.

Can you still buy a extended battery warranty after the 8 years, I recall long time ago, they offer that.. cost around 2 to 3k a year .. I can't find that anymore

 

[GSP]

My personal feelings are that a voltage regulator failing and "Frying" the battery is a real possibility. I think TESLA needs to address this question.

In a Tesla, or any other plug-in car, when charging voltage exceeds the maximum allowed value, for any reason, the battery will protect itself by opening its contactors. This isolates the cells from any external connection. So "it cannot happen," and there is no need to worry.

However, I think the charger(s) should be covered by the 8 year infinite mile powertrain waranty. Tesla probably thinks differently, but the powertrain is diasbled when you cannot charge your empty battery, so I hope Tesla wiould also cover the charger.

GSP

 

[Robert.Boston]

Can you still buy a extended battery warranty after the 8 years, I recall long time ago, they offer that.. cost around 2 to 3k a year .. I can't find that anymore

Tesla discussed a pre-paid battery replacement plan for the Model S (similar to one it offered on the Roadster), but nothing every came of it. As I recall it was going to be a $12k upfront payment when you bought the car and would have entitled you to a new battery after 8 years. If you wanted a replacement earlier, you could pay a small premium, and if you deferred past 8 years, there'd be a small rebate. I expect that the uncertainties about battery technology, etc. made pricing such a program almost impossible.

 

[tcrcnsx]

Tesla discussed a pre-paid battery replacement plan for the Model S (similar to one it offered on the Roadster), but nothing every came of it. As I recall it was going to be a $12k upfront payment when you bought the car and would have entitled you to a new battery after 8 years. If you wanted a replacement earlier, you could pay a small premium, and if you deferred past 8 years, there'd be a small rebate. I expect that the uncertainties about battery technology, etc. made pricing such a program almost impossible.

I have a nissan leaf now, after 2 and half years I lost about 40% battery capacity, what % will tesla replace for free in that 8 years unlimited miles that they talk about. I can't never get a answer from anyone that work there. my brother has a tesla and i think, he lost about 15% already in 2 years.

 

[ChadS]

If you've lost 40% on your LEAF, contact Nissan. They will give you a free battery replacement.

Tesla doesn't have a written warranty on degradation. I suspect (though I am guessing) they don't want to have to do warranty set-asides. They probably also don't want to pick a number, as any number they pick will be a problem - it will either be too high and they have to replace batteries that are really OK, or too low and people will complain it is too low and assume every battery will degrade to that level. I suspect, based on some out-of-warranty fixes they have done in the past, that if you really have an unexpected level of degradation that they will take care of you some how - but that is not written down so you can't count on it.

As for how much degradation to expect, with Tesla the pack is thermally managed so surveys have shown no correlation to environmental temperatures or DC charging. In fact, they don't show correlation to age, either - it's all about miles. With a Roadster, expect 20% loss after 100k miles. With a Model S, expect 10% loss after 100k miles. If your brother has lost 15%, I'd be interested to learn how many miles he has. He should contribute to the battery surveys HERE. (I am ignoring complicating factors like unbalanced batteries that appear to have more degradation than they do).

Regarding the OP's question, like many warranties the wording is purposely ambiguous to give the manufacturer some control. Theoretically there are consumer protection laws that say if it's ambiguous it should be decided in your favor, though actually enforcing that it not always simple. In my experience if Tesla thinks it's their fault and the battery fails while in warranty, they will replace it even if the causal part is out of warranty. But of course they want some room to protect themselves in case they don't think it's their fault, like if you build your own charger and bypass the car's systems. I would think you would likely be covered in the scenario you outlined, but can't guarantee it. Fortunately a Tesla battery being fried by a charger sounds like a pretty rare event - has it ever happened?

 

[tcrcnsx]

how my battery die so fast is because I charge to 100% everyday and drive it to nothing everyday. with a tesla is harder to do, because the range is not 60 miles.. can you buy extended warranty after the 8 years, so as long your in warranty I would think they would cover the battery.. and I got a new battery pack for my leaf for free.. I now only charge to 80% and stop at last 2 bar.. 24kwh battery pack would have cost around 6k installed.