Yikes! Error Message: Unable to Drive/Pull Over Safely

[mojoe]

So had my first big issue with my used Model 3 today, unfortunately on a highway.

Preface this by saying I noticed 3x in the last 3 days when I hit the accelerator the car abruptly buckled as if it was hard braking. I had initially thought this was the Emergency Brake Assist having a false positive.

Well today on my way home I was on the highway and I experienced that same buckling hard brake when I tried to accelerate. I was going about 70mph and this time the alerts VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN/UNABLE TO DRIVE began displaying and the car began to coast to a dead stop. I was super lucky to be near an exit and limped to the side of the road out of the path of exiting traffic.

My cars a 2018 LR RWD that was purchased used in wonderful shape with 25k miles this past Dec. It is an August 2018 build. I have to say it was very scary to lose all acceleration on a busy highway like that. Thankfully I was alone and not with my daughter and also I had just passed a curvy bridge that had no shoulder. If I had come to a dead stop on that bridge I would have been in extreme danger from oncoming traffic.

Oddly everything seemed to be functioning other than D and R. I had no luck soft/hard rebooting the car or getting out and walking away and coming back either. I was able to get it into Transport mode for the tow but it did display low power alerts.

I was towed to my local SC and will see what they say Monday. A kind employee had been late leaving and was there after hours and set me up with a P85 loaner which feels like a boat.

Anyone have anything like this happen to their Model 3? I would be lying if this hasn’t shaken my trust a bit on my first EV having never had something like this happen in my decades of driving and owning many different ICE cars. Did I just have really bad luck? Feel free to give me some confidence back as my friends and family had scoffed at my decision to get a Tesla and now this happened I don’t even want to tell them. I have lost some faith a bit as this thing was supposed to make me feel safe and what happened today was so sudden and the complete opposite of safe.

(sorry my cam lens is cracked)

 

[techdash]

DI_a137 = No capable drive units

DI_a063 = System Graceful Power Off

Sounds like the drive unit is the issue.

 

[neptunesfinest]

That’s scary to even think about. Glad you’re ok.

 

[mojoe]

Thanks for the info on the codes, anyone know how common the drive unit failing is? If they replace it I’m just hoping to instill some confidence back.

 

[mojoe]

That’s scary to even think about. Glad you’re ok.

thank you it was def very scary and I had very little time to react, I know things happen though just wasn’t expecting a failure like that.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Thanks for the info on the codes, anyone know how common the drive unit failing is? If they replace it I’m just hoping to instill some confidence back.

Tesla will make sure you never find out that info! Kinda messes up the whole “no moving parts to fail” marketing.

But from the number of posts on this forum about rear motor failures, it’s clearly not that uncommon.

 

[jsmay311]

Tesla will make sure you never find out that info!

Lol. Too true.

I also had a drive unit failure Model 3 RWD. But unlike the OP, it occurred on Day 1 of ownership, the first time I tried to accelerate fast, so I strongly suspect it was some kind of manufacturing defect.

The local service center didn’t do any inspections or investigations into what happened. Engineers from Tesla HQ simply did a remote diagnostic and then ordered the SC to remove/replace the entire drive unit and ship the original back to California. So the local mechanics, who were almost as curious about the failure mode as I was, didn’t ever get a chance to find out what the root cause or failure mode was, and neither did I.

 

[RSCrawford]

Gas cars, electric cars, cell phones, microwaves, and unfortunately airplanes and space shuttles break. Just how the dice roll sometime. Don't let one failure scare you off.

The more complicated things get the more likely they will break, you are still better off than carbs and point ignitions. Don't stress out, they will fix it and you will be back in business.

I'm far from a Tesla apologist or fan boy, I work with motor sport electronics and see a lot of things break, Ferrari to Ford.

 

[mojoe]

Lol. Too true.

I also had a drive unit failure Model 3 RWD. But unlike the OP, it occurred on Day 1 of ownership, the first time I tried to accelerate fast, so I strongly suspect it was some kind of manufacturing defect.

The local service center didn’t do any inspections or investigations into what happened. Engineers from Tesla HQ simply did a remote diagnostic and then ordered the SC to remove/replace the entire drive unit and ship the original back to California. So the local mechanics, who were almost as curious about the failure mode as I was, didn’t ever get a chance to find out what the root cause or failure mode was, and neither did I.

Wow what horrendous luck Day 1! I have def been finding lots of posts on the failures that echo mine. Of course not a huge % compared to those that are working fine out there. Still sucks to be the minority to exp it.

How has yours been since? I couldn’t help but notice mine also failed when I was making an aggressive pass or putting the pedal down in a spirited way. That was when I noticed the brake buckling behavior prior which I thought was EBA.

 

[mojoe]

Gas cars, electric cars, cell phones, microwaves, and unfortunately airplanes and space shuttles break. Just how the dice roll sometime. Don't let one failure scare you off.

The more complicated things get the more likely they will break, you are still better off than carbs and point ignitions. Don't stress out, they will fix it and you will be back in business.

I'm far from a Tesla apologist or fan boy, I work with motor sport electronics and see a lot of things break, Ferrari to Ford.

thanks absolutely it’s gonna happen, I’m going to do my best to keep the faith and be happy the car is going to get a full inspection and repair.

 

[jsmay311]

How has yours been since?

It’s been fine ever since. No issues with the replacement drive unit after nearly 25k miles.

 

[KenC]

Thanks for the info on the codes, anyone know how common the drive unit failing is? If they replace it I’m just hoping to instill some confidence back.

Anecdotally, it doesn't seem common. I frequented the Chevy Volt forum for over 3yrs, and "shut down and park" warnings seemed an order of magnitude more common.

Just did a quick search on "motor failure" and it seems like one thread a month since December, when there was that car magazine that had a failure on a test car.

 

[sduck]

You should be fine once you get the new motor. The failure rate is really low.

 

[snailboat]

Thanks for the info on the codes, anyone know how common the drive unit failing is? If they replace it I’m just hoping to instill some confidence back.

My rear drive unit on my AWD also needed replacement after about 10K miles, though the car was still driveable when I took it in. Haven't had any issues since replacement, the replacement was free under warranty, and I got a Model X loaner while it was in service, so I was happy with the experience.

 

[linux-works]

does a dual motor car offer any extra level of safety, so that either of the motors or their drive systems could fail and the other could, at least, limp you properly off the road and to the side/lay-by?

most people buy dual motor for the performance, but I wonder if there is true safely level increase because there could be a level of redundancy, in a way.

anyone know?

 

[TLLMRRJ]

does a dual motor car offer any extra level of safety, so that either of the motors or their drive systems could fail and the other could, at least, limp you properly off the road and to the side/lay-by?

most people buy dual motor for the performance, but I wonder if there is true safely level increase because there could be a level of redundancy, in a way.

anyone know?

Tesla advertises redundancy and safety as a dual motor benefit on their website, but in reality the rear motor failures have completely disabled AWD Model 3's in some failures. So more marketing stretches.

 

[GZDongles]

Tesla advertises redundancy and safety as a dual motor benefit on their website, but in reality the rear motor failures have completely disabled AWD Model 3's in some failures. So more marketing stretches.

I forget which thread I was reading, but I think it depends on which motor fails. A rear motor failure is a showstopper, but the car can operate with a front motor failure. Can anyone confirm or refute that?

 

[mojoe]

Update from the SC they’ve been great, fast, and helpful even though the situation sucked

TESLA: Hello, the service on your vehicle is in progress. We are in the process of replacing your drive unit. We expect to have your vehicle through the weekend. We will follow up Monday.

 

[mojoe]

Tesla advertises redundancy and safety as a dual motor benefit on their website, but in reality the rear motor failures have completely disabled AWD Model 3's in some failures. So more marketing stretches.

I had come across posts about AWD having the same situation I was in as I searched my error messages. I’m guessing, like me, it just has to be some bad luck with AWD which drivetrain goes, so they are not 100% immune. However, it seems very uncommon vs all those that are on the road doing fine.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

I forget which thread I was reading, but I think it depends on which motor fails. A rear motor failure is a showstopper, but the car can operate with a front motor failure. Can anyone confirm or refute that?

Just don't tell the Tesla marketing people. This was cut and pasted from Tesla Model 3 website today:

"Your car can drive on either motor, so you never need to worry about getting stuck on the road. If one motor stops working, you can safely continue to your destination with the second."

Do you like the use of the word "never" in that paragraph? That's a really bad word for the fanboys to read in this context, because it makes it super duper tough for them to come up with way to give Tesla a pass on these motor failures that disable AWD M3's.