Tesla Drive Unit Failures- a huge and growing problem

[Peace Piper]

If you haven't heard about this it's because hardly anyone wants to talk about it.
If Tesla doesn't get a handle on it- and fast- it may bankrupt the company.

Edmunds.com: 2013 Tesla Model S Long-Term Road Test
(Edmunds is on their 4th drive unit)

...Next, I took a ride with the technician so I could point out the strange noise. I was worried that the car would have stage fright and not make the noise, but my concern was unwarranted. We only drove for a block and a half before the technician recognized the sound. "This noise is known internally as the 'milling sound,'" the technician said.

"What's the common fix for this?" I asked.

It'll probably need a new drive unit, he told me...

... I would HIGHLY recommend that you buy the extended service plan for $4,000.

Here's why: Tesla does not have a powertrain warranty like ever other carmaker. The drive units are covered under the new-car limited warranty of four years or 50,000 miles. Only Tesla knows what these drive units cost on a retail level, or the hours of labor you'd need to pay for a repair out of your own pocket....
http://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model-s...e-milling.html

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Must Read: Excellent article
Milling Through the Mire – Tesla Model S Drive Unit Woes.
By Jack Rickard On July 15, 2014
(Jack Rickard writes about a Tesla owner on his 3rd drive unit and 2nd battery pack- that's $45k+20k +20k-$85,000 in 40,000 miles - equal to the purchase price)

...The one bright spot in the firmament has been Elon Musk and Tesla Motors. We’ve profited personally and handsomely on just daytrading the stock of Tesla – sufficiently so to finance a P85 model sufficiently loaded to total $107,000 ducats. Many of our viewers have done likewise, and indeed some have also bought a Model S. We are unabashadly Tesla Fanboyz. But we do keep our eyes wide open and take our duties regarding keeping our viewers informed quite at the top of the priority heap. And the rule is if you have a problem sufficiently serious that it gets its own name, you indeed have a problem. In this case, it is the Milling Noise problem.

And not everything always goes 100% smoothly

...The drive train is slightly more ominous. Tesloids already have a name for it, the MILLING NOISE. We admitted we only had 4800 miles on our Model S and Joe assured us – you will have to replace your drive unit at 8000 or 10000 miles.



There are also reports of a “klunk” sound when going from acceleration to regeneration and back. But the majority of failures involve a grinding or “milling” noise that increases over time...

...Worse, I don’t think there is really very much “wrong” with their drive train. If it’s the gearbox, about the only game left that can deal in that technology and those numbers is Getrag. And they do NOTHING quickly. My fear is they have run into a wall of hubris that cannot be re-engineered...

I’m pulling for them. But I think this particular issue is very very grave...
...more
http://evtv.me/2014/07/milling-mire/

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Tesla Owners pipe in:

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showt...r-Lack-Thereof

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showt...placement-Poll

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showt...ole-drivetrain

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showt...-Problem-Fixes

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Elon Musk is a foul mouthed 2 bit con artist who scams tax credit money from the poor and middle class to subsidize $90,000 cars for rich people. His battery swapping hoax earned millions for his battery car company, money they'll have to use to fix defective drive trains. He bashed "fool cells" a bit prematurely (because he doesn't know the first thing about what he is talking about), and it will be fun to see what happens next. Meanwhile, people might think twice before laying down subsidized dollars for a Tesla that, at the very best, will need a new $20,000 battery every 7 or 8 years.

[Zippyjuan]

I have seen several Teslas on the roads around here.

[Brian4Liberty]

New technology, design and manufacturing is often buggy.

[acptulsa]

So, about five thousand suckers with far more money than brains get took and it's a 'huge and growing problem'?

No, the hole in the economy where the middle class used to be is a 'huge and growing problem'. The fact that Obama can sucker rich fools too is merely the most humorous footnote to the overall disaster...

[Brian4Liberty]

From the Tesla forum:

another major factor is that a lot of these seem to be requests by owners after noise without any evidence that the noise is of any harm. I have multiple noises too, but I have no need to ask about them. Tesla seems to just be playing it safe on those. So realistically there are probably a lot less of these that are actual issues.

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showt...l=1#post630218

It seems that most of these are noise issues. This may be an ongoing problem for "silent" electric vehicles. With a regular ICE (internal combustion engine), the engine drowns out a lot of the random, weird and age related noises.

[Brian4Liberty]

Edmunds calls these "ominous noises". LOL.

http://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model-s...ous-noise.html

[Bastiat's The Law]

Sounds like a Tesla hit piece. Tesla Model S are very classy cars, and fast too!

[Nolan]

We'll just have to wait to see what hits first. A truly competitive battery tech or the true collapse of the U.S financial market.

[acptulsa]

We'll just have to wait to see what hits first. A truly competitive battery tech or the true collapse of the U.S financial market.

Make yer bets!

[Bastiat's The Law]

If there was a SHTF scenario, wouldn't a Tesla be the best vehicle to have? Assume gasoline becomes scarce and there's no more refining taking place. The only thing left on the road would be Teslas. Gasoline also goes bad after a few months.

[dannno]

If there was a SHTF scenario, wouldn't a Tesla be the best vehicle to have? Assume gasoline becomes scarce and there's no more refining taking place. The only thing left on the road would be Teslas. Gasoline also goes bad after a few months.

It seems like as long as you can keep solar panels working you could keep charging a tesla.

[presence]

It seems like as long as you can keep solar panels working you could keep charging a tesla.

I think tesla is overpriced. Nice concept... but they're putting too much in the luxury category and failing to "get'er done"

A better choice in my opinion is to repower a pre OBD vehicle with a Warp 11 motor:

http://www.evsource.com/tls_warp11.php

[buenijo]

Elon Musk is a really smart man - so are effective con men. The Tesla is a good looking car with impressive performance - it's also ridiculously expensive, heavy, and problematic mechanically. The car has impressive range for an all electric vehicle - but emphasizing range in an EV is forcing a square peg into a round hole.

Tesla is a toy for the rich.

[brandon]

From this thread ive gathered that there is a huge tesla conspiracy threatening to sink the company but the only evidence is a handful of anonymous forum posts about a technical issue that needed repair. Is that correct?

Also id love an explanation for why the OP says the drive boxes cannot be priced but then immediately follows that with the price of the box. Wth op?

[buenijo]

If there was a SHTF scenario, wouldn't a Tesla be the best vehicle to have? Assume gasoline becomes scarce and there's no more refining taking place. The only thing left on the road would be Teslas. Gasoline also goes bad after a few months.

On a big enough scale (big enough S H's T F) my vote goes to a wood gas truck. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlNACAEa3vo

[Anti Federalist]

So, about five thousand suckers with far more money than brains get took and it's a 'huge and growing problem'?

No, the hole in the economy where the middle class used to be is a 'huge and growing problem'. The fact that Obama can sucker rich fools too is merely the most humorous footnote to the overall disaster...

Aye, thus endeth this here thread.

[acptulsa]

It seems like as long as you can keep solar panels working you could keep charging a tesla.

Does it?

And when the battery gets old, you could wire it directly to a nuclear reactor or a hydroelectric dam and it won't ever hold a charge...

[pcosmar]

If there was a SHTF scenario, wouldn't a Tesla be the best vehicle to have? Assume gasoline becomes scarce and there's no more refining taking place. The only thing left on the road would be Teslas. Gasoline also goes bad after a few months.

Where are you going to charge it?

it may be good tech in areas that have an independent power supply. If you have access to it.

[puppetmaster]

Looks like they may build a tesla battery plant here in reno.

[fr33]

Edmunds calls these "ominous noises". LOL.

http://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model-s...ous-noise.html

My bicycle going downhill is louder. LOL

[Bastiat's The Law]

Looks like they may build a tesla battery plant here in reno.

Yeah, Elon Musk wants to design a vastly superior battery than the ones we use today. Interesting stuff.

[Bastiat's The Law]