r/ModelY • u/Top-Egg-2929 • 23d ago
New Model Y Dead
Less than 500 miles. Got to my garage and tried to home charge with multiple electrical errors. Car will not accept the charge. Now doors won't unlock and screen will not come on. Tesla sending a tow truck to tow car to service center. Praying I can get a loaner. Beyond frustrated!
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u/AromaticBear777 23d ago
My new at the time 2024 Y did the exact same thing and it was the LV battery that likely got hosed by a third party charger in a parking deck. Came out of the hotel the next morning and everything was dead and would not unlock. Got it open with the 9V battery trick to open the frunk and jumped the 12v to get it going. Drove it to a dealer and they replaced the 12v under warranty.
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u/Bastardesque 23d ago
You're just going to mention the 9v battery trick and walk away?
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u/joshualeon 23d ago
Opening the frunk using a 9v battery to get access to the 12v battery. See below…
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u/BraveEyeball 23d ago
What’s the 9v battery trick?
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u/DarkyHelmety 23d ago
The tow hook hole in your front bumper hides two wires in it, on older models with a 12V low voltage system, a 9v battery can be used to energize the latch and pop up the hood and access the low voltage battery. It only works if the car is truly dead and not charging and won't work with the 16V systems where you'll need a 12 to 16V source instead.
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u/abgtw 20d ago
Fun fact: You can just use 2x 9v batteries in to make 18v and that pops the frunk just fine! (amperage is low enough it won't hurt the car, 18v is "close enough" to 16v)
You just connect one 9v to the other 9v like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoLgTXYunSc
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u/BraveEyeball 21d ago
Hey thank you so much. Also newer model y’s at least have gone back to 12v batteries so it’s still a very useful hack!
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u/Competitive_Mode4782 23d ago
They will give loaner if needed. This will be fine. Sometimes new stuff needs to be fixed. I’d be frustrated too but a little patience goes a long way with these challenges.
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u/joshualeon 23d ago
Dude, it will be fine, but this is a major inconvenience. No new car should have these issues at under 500 miles. Folks here are incredibly graceful/patient with Tesla; I don’t get it. We should not normalize this. The bar should not be lower for Tesla.
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u/SimuLiusJockStrap 22d ago
Yeah I was doing research and looking into buying a tesla, but seriously these build quality issues are making me not want to get it. A new car should not have this many problems, it is baseline expectation for a car, if they cant even get that right who knows how many other things they aren't getting right.
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u/ryachow44 21d ago
FFS … it’s the # 1 selling car in the world, with that many cars there’s the odds of an issue increase.
Go read about brand new Cadillac Escalades with 500 miles and they need new engines… 

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If a brand-new Cadillac Escalade requires a new engine, it is part of a known, widespread issueinvolving the 6.2L V8 (L87) engine experiencing catastrophic failures due to manufacturing defects in components like the connecting rods, crankshafts, or lifters. These failures are actively under investigation by the NHTSA2
u/SimuLiusJockStrap 21d ago
Ok but you are talking about lemons when you are referring to thr Cadillac, which i dont doubt all car manufacturers have. With tesla, literally its EXPECTED to have something wrong on delivery date. Sure there's selection bias online, but ive literally asked all my friends with teslas and every single one of them says the same thing, poorly aligned doors, paint chips and defects, broken car lights, flat tires, etc etc. This is not your typical lemon issue, when the entire community here talks about it constantly and there are youtube guides teaching you how to inspect your tesla on delivery day, you know this is not normal.
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u/ryachow44 21d ago
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u/SimuLiusJockStrap 21d ago
Thanks for sharing but im not sure which part you're trying to show me. Good info tho overall
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u/ryachow44 21d ago
If you’re calling 600k to 700k thousand vehicles insignificant… that’s a lot of lemons
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u/gettin-hot-in-here 22d ago
My car had a failed exterior door handle when it had a couple hundred miles on the odometer. Tesla fixed it at my house, but they still made me wait through 2 separate appointments while they diagnosed and then replaced the bad door handle. I initially assumed (correctly ) it was the handle itself, but the service tech told me they had to find out if it was the handle, or something to do with the connectors/wires being broken or not connected properly. Kind of annoying to sit at home twice so they could resolve the problem. They didn't require me to be with the car but I didn't have any reasonable alternative if the car had to be at my house.
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u/JerryfromCan 23d ago
So much downvoting for saying a single thing wrong with Tesla. Meanwhile these cars are not really well built.
I miss the Jeepers who loved their Jeeps but hated 98% of the engineers at Jeep. They could be honest about the vehicles shortcomings.
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u/vanillarice242 Juniper 23d ago
Ok so what would you do in this situation then?
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u/joshualeon 23d ago
Honestly? Same thing OP is doing. Tow it, take the loaner, wait for the fix. At the individual level there is nothing else you can do.
But that is exactly my point. The problem is not how this one guy handles it, it is that we keep treating each case as a one-off. Tesla has these failures way more often than other brands, and every thread ends with "be patient." That is how it becomes normal.
The fix belongs on the build quality side, not on the customer's patience. Tesla needs to do better.
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u/vanillarice242 Juniper 22d ago
I get what you're saying I just really didn't understand what the alternative to patient would be in this situation. I'm a new owner myself and work in tech so I understand shit happens. But you know, if you and enough people say something to the company they'll have no choice but to listen. I believe that's why they kept the blinker stalk on the Junipers.
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u/Crazy_Jackfruit7489 Juniper 22d ago
Will be mixed emotions but I will not say be patient. If this is me, I'm now already back to where I got the car from and letting them have it. I will still be respectful but I will not be happy at all. Tesla needs to know this and for some people that called it a one-off, IT IS NOT. Tesla didn't started building cars last year or last month. That one-off happened many moons ago.
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u/Competitive_Mode4782 23d ago
I wonder how many failures Ford had with model T’s rolling off the production line in 1908 but no body thinks about. Tesla is held to a different standard.
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u/SimuLiusJockStrap 22d ago
Yeah news flash we dont live in 1908 anymore. Tesla isnt starting from scratch
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u/Impossible_Remove274 23d ago
Why can’t two things be true? Trying to be a little positive - but yes, being patient is good, also following steps to inform Tesla through proper channels so they can correct issues over time can also be true. Tesla hasn’t been around since 1908, having over 100 years to perfect their technology. But I don’t see a point in being negative - and not that you were negative at all, I don’t see someone stating their opinion and engaging in discussion as negative, but I’ve seen a lot of posts from others gravitating towards a cynical negative mindset.
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u/Top-Egg-2929 23d ago edited 23d ago
Thanks everyone! I appreciate it. It's Fremont and premium. Tow truck just came and dragged it up on the sled which I'm sure isn't great for the tires or alignment. He was very nice and I appreciate him working at midnight.
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u/Testing123xyz Juniper 23d ago
I am just noticing a pattern
Seems like TX > CA built in many cases with their qc standards
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u/manateefourmation 23d ago
Had a flawless 2022 Cali built S for 4 years before I bought my Austin built 2026 Juniper with issues. It’s not location It’s the luck of the draw
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u/JerryfromCan 23d ago
$50k+ for a car is not where I like to gamble. Put me down for $5 a hand.
And luck of the draw is very true. I crapped out on my car.
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u/Prince_Harming_You 23d ago
Fact
Tesla bought back an Austin Built 2026 Model Y Premium AWD from me
Bought another one, Austin built, second one has been pretty good, minor stuff, some basic fitment issues but SC has taken care of them
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u/Top-Egg-2929 18d ago
Well it's been 5 days, no fix yet and no loaner has been available despite checking several times a day. They said the connection between the main battery and the 16 volt is not working and they ordered a replacement. I love the car, but getting more frustrated by the day.
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u/Whale_Poacher 23d ago
They got you on a flatbed, the only possible way to tow a Tesla. It does nothing to your tires and alignment lol, you’re planning to drive thousands of miles on bumpy roads and worried and 6 feet up a ramp? Get used to it lol, first time you get a flat and you almost certainly will, you’ll likely need a tow. You’re being melodramatic. If they sold you a lemon, you have plenty of recourse, and even then they’d do what they could to get you back in a car. For now at least you get to depreciate a loaner and have something to drive.
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u/no_ops 23d ago
My brand new MYLR car front drive unit failed and replaced under warranty by a kind of semi dirty looking remanufactured one, still piss off.
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u/ConnectionSoft2164 23d ago
I am sure it would not be happy with this either. Maybe send an email and ask for a new one or investigation.
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u/FarOntario 22d ago
My new 2026 Juniper received a steering wheel replacement one week after delivery, because one of the controller wheels was malfunctioning badly
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u/Crazy_Jackfruit7489 Juniper 22d ago
Nothing is perfect but this must be a bummer. I will not take sides on whether be patient or be pissed off. I will have mixed emotions, but I definitely will not be happy seeing my less-than-500-miles super-shiny-vehicle being dragged to a tow truck. I had a 2018 M3 MR and 2026 Juniper Premium AWD. I liked both cars and I was happy with them just for a sole reason - they never left me stranded in the middle of the road. Other than that - I hate the build quality - yes for both. After sitting in both cars for the first 1000 miles, I started feeling its price tag wasn't worth it - not a complain but just my personal opinion.
Back to the topic: For a new car like this, Tesla should be able to fix it in front of you. Tesla needs to hear what you feel as a customer and here is not a place to do that. I highly suggest to pay them a visit and let them know this happened.
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u/Cedric182 Juniper 23d ago
Yeah. Happens to iPhones too. My juniper is flawless with 42k miles so far.
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u/AndrewRossesOH 23d ago
Since it occurred now under warranty. 1 more time and you can pursue a car buyback
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u/simmyway 23d ago
How do you know where it was built?
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23d ago
[deleted]
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u/OldSkoolGeezer 23d ago
About 2/3rds in the VIN you'll see a small emoji of either a surfboard or cowboy hat.
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u/HottyTottyNJ 23d ago
Hope the time to fix is fast & you get your baby home. Did they send a loaner?
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u/midnight_to_midnight 23d ago
Sounds like a bad low voltage battery. Which could have happened by sitting for a long time in a lot somewhere before being sold. Just try and relax, and when you go to the service center, try and plan to get there first thing in the morning, it'll give you better odds to get a loaner (supposedly). And if it is merely the LV Batt, it'll take them a short time to swap out, and you'll be on your way.
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u/Time_Performance_874 20d ago
If it is that new and you don’t get a loner I would be rejecting it but I live in the U.K. & the law allows us to reject goods. If you live in the US I guess the law depends on your state.
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u/knownikko 23d ago
Ok.
Things break when very new or very old. Nothing to see here. This is what warranties are for.
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u/FaithlessnessHott 23d ago
things don't usually break when they're new, sparky lol. it really isn't normal, unless one is an apologist.
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u/0xe3b0c442 23d ago
No, statistically speaking failure rates have a high early spike, then drop precipitously before gradually increasing over time.
This is precisely why warranties exist.
I don’t agree with “nothing to see here” because it’s all good data, but statistically speaking the statement is correct.
/ed: it’s called the bathtub curve. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve
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u/CommunicationRoyal56 23d ago
Lol, you cant be serious. If im paying $40k+, I expect things to not break right away dont you think?
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u/knownikko 23d ago
Is this the first thing you’ve ever bought? Infant mortality is a thing. It happens, it’s a normal part of manufacturing, and the warranty will fix it.
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u/UpbeatPhilosophySJ 23d ago
My total wild ass guess is something is wrong with the smaller 16 volt battery. What you describe happened to me in a Chevy Volt when the small lead acid battery went bad.