The dreaded HV Bat replacement

[Amorfati01]

Hey Gang,

Just bought my 14 S85 a week ago and was hit with a bunch of error codes last night after charging stopped unexpectedly (low voltage, reduced power, can't start). This morning the codes cleared and the car seemed fine so I backed out, put it in drive, and got a "may not restart" warning. At that point I drove directly to the service center 15 minutes away. After checking in with the tech, he said they received both internal and external isolation faults so the battery needs to come out immediately for fear of a "thermal event." The battery was pulled and it was discovered that the fuse cover corroded so it's assumed water got inside the unit. While they have not said it yet, they seem to be leaning towards a new battery being needed. They are waiting for specialists to come and discharge the battery so they can get a look. It was stable and not overheating, which gives me some hope.

Being that this is outside of warranty, a $20k expense on a car I bought for around that amount is not sitting so well with me. I am open to advice on what my next steps may be and anything I should make sure to do at service (get the cover? Ask them to check the fuses? Ask to see the HVB if they deem it unfixable?) Also, if they decide they need to replace it, does the old battery become my property to sell? I asked about this and the tech seemed taken back by it. Said he would look into it.

Thanks for any and all help. I knew this was a possibility but thought it was remarkably rare.

 

[Tam]

...fuse cover corroded so it's assumed water got inside the unit...

It sounds like the one in the article below:

Tesla Model S Owner Accuses EV Maker of Hiding Design Flaw in Battery Packs

Mario Zelaya bought his then brand-new 2013 Model S Performance almost ten years ago. He drove it for 124,204 kilometers (77,177 miles) until it presente...

www.autoevolution.com

Being that this is outside of warranty, a $20k expense on a car I bought for around that amount is not sitting so well with me.

All batteries must die someday. It's a risk of buying outside of the warranty.

I am open to advice on what my next steps

If you don't want to pay full price with Tesla, try:

057 Technology

057 Technology, LLC

057tech.com

...Also, if they decide they need to replace it, does the old battery become my property to sell?...

If you pay extra, you can take your battery home.

The quoted price is when you leave the old battery with them.

 

[DerbyDave]

They reuse/recycle the old battery.

 

[brainhouston]

If u got f123/w123 internal isolation error then its most likely due to water ingress thru fuse cover.
If cells inside didn't corrode much (a little is fine), u can dry everything n that error will go away.
I went thru same thing on my X:

Car died. BMS errors f123, w123, w073, w035, w142, w158

Unfortunately my 2016 MX 90D decided to surprise me with these errors :confused: We had a few days of cold/snow days and the car did fine. Last couple of days its been above freezing and everything already melted. I drove the car in the morning, then parked on driveway. Few hours later, started...

teslamotorsclub.com

Unfortunately, i'm not aware of any third party that will do this for u, its a DIY job...

 

[houstonian]

Are you sure about the battery being out of warranty?

There were a traunche of S's which carried a 8y (?) unlimited mileage battery warranty.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Could this be one of those situations where the seller had the problem and covered it up by resetting the codes and quickly selling the car?

 

[NV Ray]

Can you post pics of the alerts you got? Thx.

 

[Amorfati01]

Could this be one of those situations where the seller had the problem and covered it up by resetting the codes and quickly selling the car?

I considered this, but he seemed incredibly legit. Plus, won't Tesla have records of previous error codes? I asked the techs to check this out.
Either way there isn't much recourse. I wrote the seller and he said he was speechless. I believe him.

 

[Amorfati01]

Are you sure about the battery being out of warranty?

There were a traunche of S's which carried a 8y (?) unlimited mileage battery warranty.

I mean not entirely certain, but we are beyond 8 years so I presume so. Was purchased originally on 9/11/14, so we are at 8 years and 8 months. Guessing warranty coverage ends at 8 on the dot.

 

[WallysRide]

Also look at Re/Cell in Texas (they post frequently in this forum) for another cost-effective, reputable 3rd party replacement option, esp. if you are willing to go with their lower-range option.

Unfortunately the water ingress problem is a known flaw with the early (2012-2014) S cars - there's a whole thread in this forum about this.

Vendor - Preventative Maintenance regarding Battery Failures in early Model S vehicles (2012-2014)

There are some definite trends with early battery packs failing in earlier Model S vehicles... from day 1 builds up to about Q4'2014 and some even Q1'2015... and any cars that have had Tesla-refurbished packs installed. The issues are all pretty much the same thing in one form or another...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[ucmndd]

Are you sure about the battery being out of warranty?

There were a traunche of S's which carried a 8y (?) unlimited mileage battery warranty.

Every single 2014 is more than 8 years old now.

 

[Amorfati01]

Update. The bill came in and the final estimate: $19,547. They are charging 17,000 for a 90kwh to replace the 85. Will ask them if that is an upcharge that must be paid. Also planning to explore options like ReCell and 057. In the meantime, I wonder if a class action suit will eventually happen as more and more gen 1 S's start needing new batteries outside of warranty thanks to lousy design.

 

[NV Ray]

Update. The bill came in and the final estimate: $19,547. They are charging 17,000 for a 90kwh to replace the 85. Will ask them if that is an upcharge that must be paid. Also planning to explore options like ReCell and 057. In the meantime, I wonder if a class action suit will eventually happen as more and more gen 1 S's start needing new batteries outside of warranty thanks to lousy design.

Tesla Model S & Model X Software Update Battery Drain lawsuit

 

[NV Ray]

Update. The bill came in and the final estimate: $19,547. They are charging 17,000 for a 90kwh to replace the 85. Will ask them if that is an upcharge that must be paid. Also planning to explore options like ReCell and 057. In the meantime, I wonder if a class action suit will eventually happen as more and more gen 1 S's start needing new batteries outside of warranty thanks to lousy design.

Not sure if you got the BMS_u029 or 018 alert. Here's FAQs I put together.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/...ouid=101367879314455822316&rtpof=true&sd=true

 

[NV Ray]

Update. The bill came in and the final estimate: $19,547. They are charging 17,000 for a 90kwh to replace the 85. Will ask them if that is an upcharge that must be paid. Also planning to explore options like ReCell and 057. In the meantime, I wonder if a class action suit will eventually happen as more and more gen 1 S's start needing new batteries outside of warranty thanks to lousy design.

2012 P85 here. Here's my bill when I had to replace my pack due to BMS_u029 alert last Fall. I ordered reman 85 from Tesla. New 2022 build 90 came in. Tesla honored reman 85 quote. Tesla corked to 85, would cost $750 to uncork to 90. I opted to stay at 85.

 

[DerbyDave]

At least you will have a 4 year 50k warranty on the replacement.

 

[NV Ray]

At least you will have a 4 year 50k warranty on the replacement.

You're right. Should be 8 yr if you dish out an extra $5k for a new pack.

 

[livesmith]

You're right. Should be 8 yr if you dish out an extra $5k for a new pack.

But still only 50K miles?

 

[NV Ray]

But still only 50K miles?

Good question. Miles probably should match same as if you bought new Tesla. Don't know what that is off the top of my head.

 

[maximizese]

Update. The bill came in and the final estimate: $19,547. They are charging 17,000 for a 90kwh to replace the 85. Will ask them if that is an upcharge that must be paid. Also planning to explore options like ReCell and 057. In the meantime, I wonder if a class action suit will eventually happen as more and more gen 1 S's start needing new batteries outside of warranty thanks to lousy design.

Probably not. My understanding in regards to recalls and products liability is that potential or likely safety issues is the trigger and not lousy design. From where I sit with my nerfed 11/13 built S85, I remember a handful of battery fires in early 2019 and the subsequent software updates in 6/2019 that appeared to limit the power output, range, and Supercharger curve to our car. It's the belief of some very trusted 3rd party specialists that Tesla didn't nerf the batteries because of the fires, but rather to reduce and identify batteries with potential issues. Over the last year, Tesla's firmware update includes better BMS analysis to identify more potential issues and reduces the capacity to avoid some of the worst case scenarios. While disappointing and inconvenient, it appears Tesla is doing this out of an abundance of safety and is the proper course to take. However, for many owners and prospective EV buyers these issues in design learned after the fact can lead to a financial event that most aren't ready for nor are willing to endure when purchasing a vehicle.


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