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Rear drive unit failure (Model S)

33K views 47 replies 23 participants last post by  garsh 
#1 · (Edited)
My dad's Model S 75 is just 17 months old when last Friday it stopped taking a charge. After running diagnostics for a few days they determined the car has a total failure of the rear drive unit which now has to be replaced.

I feel like this is the EV equivalent of an ICE car getting a full engine replacement. My dad's odometer starts over :)

He says the loaner drives better than his car - combo of dual motor + smaller wheels. Also on the plus side, check out his loaner...

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#2 ·
That’s disappointing to hear. There’s so much tech in these cars, something like the drive unit or MCU going out of warranty would totally kill the bank. If I keep my Teslas past the warranty period, I will definitely buy the extended warranty.
 
#5 ·
That's disappointing to hear. There's so much tech in these cars, something like the drive unit or MCU going out of warranty would totally kill the bank. If I keep my Teslas past the warranty period, I will definitely buy the extended warranty.
It definitely concerns me a bit with my mileage. Expensive parts to replace if you have certain issues with your Tesla after the warranty ends.

Aww sorry to hear about your Dad's car's drive unit failure! Good thing though he wasn't driving when it gave out so you were all relatively safe and not in need of a roadside rescue. Definitely cool to be getting a new drive unit though. :)
Thanks and yes you're right. They indicated this would have been really bad if he was driving when it failed. Especially given that he doesn't have dual motor.
 
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#11 ·
Dude, you scared me for a second there! Oh, it's just a Model S, phew! But what a pain for your dad.
Dude! yes, I was scared there for a second.

I thought @SoFlaModel3 was already seeing drive unit failure!

That said, 17-months is too young to get a failure...I have not researched but what happens if I and driving down the road at 60 mph and there is a motor failure? Would I just coast until I apply the brakes?
 
#6 ·
Sucks to see a complete failure, will we see the day when there are enough cars similar to a Tesla on the road that when you need a motor overhaul it's like the alternator of old days when every small town had a guy that would rebuild them? I know these units are probably a tad bit more complicated than then old alternator, but they are just electric motors. I also have concern about cost of maintenance. There aren't just a ton of wear parts, but the motor and or battery are probably more than enough to break the bank.
 
#7 ·
Here's the grand conclusion. They promised my dad his car would be ready by Friday and over-delivered with the car being ready today though he can't get it until tomorrow.

Here is the final repair description...

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#9 ·
These things are interesting - old time car dealers always had prices whether warranty or not, you'd know. You'd see what they were billing back to the mfr for the work. This is kind of like doctors - you used to always get a statement of what they were charging for your visit and tests and were submitting to insurance, notice you don't get those any more - they don't want you to see it. They want to bill as much as possible and see what your insurance will pay.

This might be a bit different with Tesla since they own it all top to bottom, sales, service, factory too, but would still be nice to see what they charge for that. I have to assume that some day there will be rebuilt units as well as new and there will be options.
 
#12 ·
FWIW - There is an old post from Nov 2015 on a different forum that the Tesla techs said it cost $6k for rear drive unit replacement and $40k for battery pack replacement non-warranty.

Also, the guy who posted the youtube vid of the Model 3 battery pack teardown sells salvaged/refurbed Tesla parts. His 350kW "Rear Drive Unit Kit" which includes a refurbished drive unit plus new bearings/seals and diff and software and controller and wiring harness - basically everything needed to drop it into a project except the battery....... $17k
http://store.evtv.me/products.php?cat=1
 
#14 ·
I hope Tesla will address reliability issues proactively rather than hiding behind the small print. Model S owners may be lenient in general but the Model 3 demography will be much less forgiving just because the lower we go in price point, the less willing and able they are likely to be.
 
#18 ·
My Tesla 3, with only 800 miles, seized up yesterday. Error message flashed "Car needs service" and "Car may not restart". The car was towed to the only service center in Colorado. Diagnosis is that Tesla is going to replace the drive unit and the 12 volt battery. Not fun!

Is drive unit failure a common problem? One post on the Tesla Motors Club stated that the majority of Model S owners have had the drive unit replaced. Be warned.

Purple Liquid Fluid Rectangle Violet
 
#19 ·
Answer is no. 8 years unlimited miles. Model S has only been out 6 years...And, knowing Tesla well, they will go out of their way to "goodwill" repairs out of warranty when there is any circumstance to allow it.
Thanks for posting, I thought on the Model 3 - the 8 years was only the battery, but a quick Google took me to Tesla's page where I found this and indeed it says Battery and Drive Unit, not just battery. I've been limiting that in my head.

New Vehicle Limited Warranty

Your Model 3 is protected by a New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 4 years or 50,000 miles (80,000 km), whichever comes first. The Battery and Drive Unit in your vehicle are covered for a period of:
  • Vehicles with Standard Range Battery - 8 years or 100,000 miles (160,000 km), whichever comes first, with minimum 70% retention of Battery capacity over the warranty period.
  • Vehicles with Long Range Battery - 8 years or 120,000 miles (192,000 km), whichever comes first, with minimum 70% retention of Battery capacity over the warranty period.
These warranties cover the repair or replacement necessary to correct defects in the materials or workmanship of any parts manufactured or supplied by Tesla that occur under normal use during the coverage period.
 
#20 ·
I'm getting delivery soon and they had to delay it because they are replacing the drive unit. They said at the time, before it made it to the store, they would have to check the drive unit sensor. They said they aren't replacing all of the drive units but they are replacing mine.
 
#24 ·
Hi all- my dual motor model 3 went out of commission yesterday. SC suspects the rear drive unit and will be replacing it. It only had 125mi on it, so I was a bit surprised. Wondering what everyone's post experiences have been since getting the drive unit replaced?
I can only speak to Model S having started the thread for my dad's Model S experience, but the car has not had an issue since the replacement.
 
#29 ·
When you say "out of commission", what do you mean?
I was under the impression that you could continue to drive a dual-motor car when one of the motors fails.

As I was driving, warning messages appeared on the screen:

Power reduced
Unable to drive
Car needs service
Car shutting down
Car cannot maintain vehicle power

As these messages appeared, I basically made my way to the freeway shoulder as quick as possible. So at that point I still had some amount of driving control.

After I put the car in park. I was not able to put it back into drive. (I was trying to move it further into the shoulder)

Called roadside assistance and was towed to the service center.

Unsure if I would have made it all the way to work and park, but with those prompts showing up, I decided it was better to pull over.
 
#30 ·
I sure hope they get a good handle on reducing random manufacturing defects. Sure these motors are complex but if a typical vacuum cleaner motor can be made to last several years, there is simply no excuse for allowing a brushless motor to fail at such a low mileage.
 
#32 ·
Well...hate to put the fear into all of you optimistic Tesla owners with your new drive units but...my 2014 S85 had a drive unit failure at 40,000 miles. When they replaced it, the tech told me that there was a defect in the early units that was caused by the pressing machine being located on the second floor of the factory. When the machine was pressing the units, the floor was flexing just enough to cause a problem but not enough for them to notice. They have since re-located it to a ground level floor so this new drive unit will last forever. Apparently "forever" is about 57,000 miles because today, my drive unit was replaced again at 97,000 miles. This time it was due to coolant leaking into the unit and causing corrosion. I mentioned what the tech had told me before about it "lasting forever" and this tech said, "I wouldn't ever say that. We are dealing with new technology and there will always be problems." So, I said, "so what you are saying is that I should get rid of the car before I get to 8 years?", he did not answer but I got the idea that he was agreeing with that. Now, I am deciding what to do. I had planned to keep this car for 10+ years and also get a second one but now, I am a little worried. My concern is that the car will become instantly worthless the day it turns 8.
 
#33 ·
My concern is that the car will become instantly worthless the day it turns 8.
Calm down. You're overreacting. :)
How much is a replacement Model S drive unit?
A quick look at ebay shows them selling for $3500-$6700.
I found this post on TMC where a guy was quoted $6000 at a Tesla Service Center to have a drive unit replaced. That actually seems like a pretty good deal. There must be a lot of labor involved.

You may still prefer to get rid of an 8-year-old car and replace it with something newer. Once a car gets much older than that, you probably need to replace all of the suspension bushings and the shocks to keep the ride quality decent. And newer cars will have new features and upgrades.
 
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#35 · (Edited)
I have heard :wink: that reducing tolerance stack-up issues, ceramic bearings, improved materials, detailed tracking, along with now dyno testing all DU rebuilds have increased the DU service life. However, there are quite possibly inherent design flaws which often cause failures in the 10K mile (driving like a madman) - 50K mile (conservative acceleration) life on the RWD Ses. An owner will typically have advanced warning of many hundreds of miles to possibly thousands of miles upon hearing an ever louder buzzing or milling noise before a complete failure occurs. One would be hard pressed to find one of these "classics" on the road today that isn't on its 3rd+ DU.
 
#39 ·
A couple of days ago, after a software update, I got the message of "rear motor disabled". I've rebooted the system with no luck. I have a service appt for 27 Dec (12 days after scheduling). I have a 2018 P100D with 8,200 miles. Is this a common problem to have with so few miles or a glitch in the system?
 
#40 ·
Drive unit failures are not common, but you do hear of them happening from time to time. It's not too difficult of a fix for Tesla - much easier than replacing a combustion engine.

You don't appear to have any Tesla Service Centers nearby. Ugh. Did they arrange to tow your car? Are they providing a loaner?
 
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