ALL POSTS-No Motor Power/Power Steering, turned off on road

[Ntd]

Actually, 4-- two days after our failure on the freeway, another forum member had the same happen while driving on El Camino-- also a car from Magnussen's, with about 750 miles on it. Like ours, the Tesla power system was found to be faulty and was replaced (our original also had a bad Gateway ECU).

The incident in Washington was earlier. These most recent 3 all involved 2013 model year vehicles leased within the last 2 months.

This is really unacceptable...

 

[mikegerard]

The Focus Electric seems to have a similar problem
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086898_ford-focus-electric-drivers-has-your-electric-car-suddenly-stalled

I did have a Saturn turn off on me once...I was only moving about 15 mph in a parking lot and was able to stop and restart. Never had the problem again (drove another 100,000 miles on that car).

For anyone who has been through it...how much steering and braking do you have with no power...is it hard to steer or does the steering lock up? Is the braking unassisted or do you have no brakes?

Mike

 

[miimura]

I will let others attest to the steering, but it should only require more effort, not lock up at all.

The friction brakes should definitely be unaffected. The brakes are very conventional. The only difference is that there is no free vacuum from a combustion engine to run the brake booster, so they have a little electric vacuum pump that runs off the 12V battery. So, there is little danger that any fault in the electric drive system can cause a loss in braking power. I'm sure the ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) and related items are identical to the regular RAV4, so those are tried and true components too.

 

[Ntd]

Since I was going 75 mph, the steering became slightly harder. If I were going slower, I would imagine that it would be a lot harder. The steering did not lock up. The brakes worked normally. I only used them to dodge other cars. I tried not to use them too much as I needed the momentum to get me to the emergency lane from the left lane. :roll:

Toyota needs to do a better job of measuring quality control of the products they receive from Tesla. Does this happen to Model S's? Probably not.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Toyota needs to do a better job of measuring quality control of the products they receive from Tesla. Does this happen to Model S's? Probably not.

Model S doesn't need a "Gateway" computer to connect with a Toyota car.

The motor issues were largely the result of being the first Model S motors built. I've heard the same noise on very early Model S cars.

The heater is really frustrating, because there's a known heater fault which causes the DC to DC convertor to fail.

The timer issues are all on Toyota, it seems. The burnt charge pins are largely a Blink/Rema issue, but we also know that there was very little testing by Toyota with J1772 prior to product release on Sept 24, 2012.

The other issues, well...

 

[cwerdna]

Yes, I would report these all to NTHSA.

My car left me stranded once, too, just not in the middle of a freeway.

Yep. If they are legitimate safety defects/failures and NOT user error, yes, report them to NHTSA. However, I believe it's best to do it after the repair's been completed and you know what work has been done.

Toyota needs to do a better job of measuring quality control of the products they receive from Tesla. Does this happen to Model S's? Probably not.

Oh it does... I don't believe http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/21238-Main-Battery-and-12V-battery-failure-in-the-middle-of-the-intersection is the first thread where people have hit problems where their cars die. Notice that some folks seem bent on "protecting" Tesla by discouraging people from reporting legitimate safety defects to NHTSA. :roll:

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/19785-Car-delivered-yesterday-died-10-times-today-stranding-my-family
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/19785-Car-delivered-yesterday-died-10-times-today-stranding-my-family/page7?p=405102&viewfull=1#post405102

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/19785-Car-delivered-yesterday-died-10-times-today-stranding-my-family/page8?p=408710#post408710

I'm quite sure there are others on that forum besides these.

 

[miimura]

Actually, 4-- two days after our failure on the freeway, another forum member had the same happen while driving on El Camino-- also a car from Magnussen's, with about 750 miles on it. Like ours, the Tesla power system was found to be faulty and was replaced (our original also had a bad Gateway ECU).

The incident in Washington was earlier. These most recent 3 all involved 2013 model year vehicles leased within the last 2 months.

This is really unacceptable...

...and then there were 5. Another car mentioned in this thread purchased from Stevens Creek Toyota died under power at 2,552 odometer miles.

 

[cwerdna]

Toyota needs to do a better job of measuring quality control of the products they receive from Tesla. Does this happen to Model S's? Probably not.

Oh it does... I don't believe http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/21238-Main-Battery-and-12V-battery-failure-in-the-middle-of-the-intersection is the first thread where people have hit problems where their cars die. Notice that some folks seem bent on "protecting" Tesla by discouraging people from reporting legitimate safety defects to NHTSA. :roll:

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/19785-Car-delivered-yesterday-died-10-times-today-stranding-my-family
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/19785-Car-delivered-yesterday-died-10-times-today-stranding-my-family/page7?p=405102&viewfull=1#post405102

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/19785-Car-delivered-yesterday-died-10-times-today-stranding-my-family/page8?p=408710#post408710

I'm quite sure there are others on that forum besides these.

On that note, a guy at http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/21666-Scary-amp-not-great-PR-BUT-extraordinary-service had his wipers fail, which is clearly is a safety defect and cars have been recalled for failing windshield wipers before. I suggested he report it to NHTSA and of course, a bunch of random fanboys essentially discouraged the OP from doing so. They moved the posts to http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/21682-When-to-report-NHTSA-issues/ and I got hit w/a negative reputation point. :roll:

With fans/enthusiasts like them, it seems like the odds of NHTSA initiating safety investigations into Teslas (if applicable/warranted) are sharply reduced. :roll:

 

[JCT]

It happened to me on the way home from work!
Driving appx 72mph #1 lane of 4 lane fwy, w/ 63 mile range left. Car shifted hard all by itself and went into Neutral and lost power. Check power steering came on and Check EV system. Coasted to right shoulder and came to a stop.
Towed to Crown Toyota, Ontario, CA.

Too late to check car tonight. Waiting for a call tomorrow to see what the problem is.


VIN 1994
Purchased from Carson Toyota Sept 2013.
9714 miles at time of incident.

 

[tjka4231]

It happened to me on the way home from work!
Driving appx 72mph #1 lane of 4 lane fwy, w/ 63 mile range left. Car shifted hard all by itself and went into Neutral and lost power. Check power steering came on and Check EV system. Coasted to right shoulder and came to a stop.
Towed to Crown Toyota, Ontario, CA.

Too late to check car tonight. Waiting for a call tomorrow to see what the problem is.


VIN 1994
Purchased from Carson Toyota Sept 2013.
9714 miles at time of incident.

You should report this incident to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They have an online complaint site at https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/index.xhtml

 

[Dianne]

I must say that Toyota's been very diligent about working thru some of these upgrades and fixes with Tesla. I can tell this, because when I have cars held back at the plant unbuilt for weeks and weeks... cars that should be here already, I know they are definitely making improvements.

I update every single EV before it leaves me, making certain it's got the latest and greatest. And, the reverse beep eliminated down to the one short beep. To honestly and faithfully do everything possible at the time to ensure smooth sailing for everyone afterwards is the best I can personally do. The unforeseen problems can be fixed if something happens, and the possibility of the unforeseen happening is being dealt with - obviously - one car at a time now at the plant by Tesla. And, the few cars we've had to deal with issues on are always, always a Tesla part/problem. I watched a car sit for 3 weeks waiting for Tesla to make/ship a part for it. Do they not keep parts on hand? Do they hold back making a part till it's needed in case there's a better way to make the part or fix the car so it's not going to fail again? I have no idea.

Since the EV made its debut a year and a half ago, my dealership's sold 182 EVs and I have sold 160 of those. One is my own 2013 blue one.

With almost 13K on my odometer today and no problems (knock wood) after almost 6 months... I hope the other shoe won't drop. But seeing how awesome my techs are, I am not afraid. It's just a buncha parts all connected together that culminate in a way for me to get to work and home daily... and you can be certain if my own car fails in some way, I'll be checking in here to report it.

There are quite a few I have sold out there running around with no problems at all. I usually hear about the problem cars because you call me, or email me but a few I have to read about on this board and try to figure out by VIN# lookup. It's a curious thing to me that more Tesla cars don't just stop moving with no warning. I know we've seen some pretty sensationalized news about them burning, but still... I wonder what it is about our EV vs Tesla models that have us feeling a little surprised that this is happening to some of you on your EVs. Keep in mind, I have never driven Tesla. Not even sat in one.

Just some thoughts.

 

[Dsinned]

Dianne, et al , the really scary thing, this random, but seemingly reoccurring problem is like a ticking time bomb, and in the worse case scenario, "could" result in a serious accident on the road. Toyota should put a HOLD on production until this problem is fully understood and can be 100% resolved!

 

[danhsu]

I read all the Forum, missed the most important one.. i was going to get the car, but now I don't feel safe especially I got a 2yr old kid.

Dianne, can you get any information if that's been solved with the 2014 line?

 

[cwerdna]

I read all the Forum, missed the most important one.. i was going to get the car, but now I don't feel safe especially I got a 2yr old kid.

Dianne, can you get any information if that's been solved with the 2014 line?

I don't think she'd know the answer. If it was solved, then Toyota needs to recall all the Rav4 EVs w/o the fix and apply the fix to them. This is recall class.

Hopefully anyone who has experienced this (in the absence of driver error) has filed a safety complaint w/NHTSA, preferably after a repair attempt has been made.

 

[ocdxfv]

After almost 4 weeks in the shop, Toyota finally called to tell me that my new motor should arrive tomorrow. Does anyone know how long it takes to install the motor? I'm anxious to get my car back.

 

[TonyWilliams]

After almost 4 weeks in the shop, Toyota finally called to tell me that my new motor should arrive tomorrow. Does anyone know how long it takes to install the motor? I'm anxious to get my car back.

Mine was one of the first ones swapped and it took two days with numerous Tesla and Toyota folks "helping", including the Toyota Rav4 EV project manager.

Now, with just a mechanic and the right tools, one day.

 

[ocdxfv]

After almost 4 weeks in the shop, Toyota finally called to tell me that my new motor should arrive tomorrow. Does anyone know how long it takes to install the motor? I'm anxious to get my car back.

Mine was one of the first ones swapped and it took two days with numerous Tesla and Toyota folks "helping", including the Toyota Rav4 EV project manager.

Now, with just a mechanic and the right tools, one day.

So maybe I'll get it back on Tuesday!

 

[ocdxfv]

After almost 4 weeks in the shop, Toyota finally called to tell me that my new motor should arrive tomorrow. Does anyone know how long it takes to install the motor? I'm anxious to get my car back.

Mine was one of the first ones swapped and it took two days with numerous Tesla and Toyota folks "helping", including the Toyota Rav4 EV project manager.

Now, with just a mechanic and the right tools, one day.

Tony: Can you tell me why you had your motor replaced? Has is been good since?

 

[TonyWilliams]

After almost 4 weeks in the shop, Toyota finally called to tell me that my new motor should arrive tomorrow. Does anyone know how long it takes to install the motor? I'm anxious to get my car back.

Mine was one of the first ones swapped and it took two days with numerous Tesla and Toyota folks "helping", including the Toyota Rav4 EV project manager.

Now, with just a mechanic and the right tools, one day.

Tony: Can you tell me why you had your motor replaced? Has is been good since?

Excess noise from new that got louder and louder. The new one is slightly louder than when new, but acceptable. My car is over 31,000 miles.

 

[kermit]

I just purchased a used Rav4 ev with 4500 miles from CA and had it shipped to Lakewood CO.
Just wondering if you found a dealer to do basic maintenance in Denver area like the 5000 mile checkup?
Thanks