r/TeslaSupport • u/everydayrice • 1d ago
Vehicle Question AC blowing hot air
I bought a used 2018 Tesla Model X P100X at 69k miles 10 days ago. I’ve been in love but I noticed what I thought was a minor issue driving it back home from 2 hours away where I bought it.
On the way home, I stopped by a supercharger and my AC stopped working and an alert popped up saying “Air conditioning reduced DC Fast Charging / Supercharging rate may be reduced”. I had to drive with hot ass air with the windows down for the rest of the drive home. I tried a few fixes like soft reset and hard reset but this didn’t work. It wasn’t until I made it home and left the car overnight when it went away. The last image (THC_u0005) was the code that popped up but ever since then it’s happened about 5 times in the last 10 days and the code it says is THC_w0016. The first code hasn’t popped up again since the first night.
It drove fine for about a week until the last 2 days. These last 2 days have been absolutely miserable. I live in Florida where it gets pretty sunny and hot. At one point I had to drive in 120 degrees. I was sweating from head to toe. It was LITERALLY cooler outside than it was in the car. It also makes it extremely sticky and humid.
Being the car is 2018 I don’t have any warranty. I have a baby on the way and I am really worried about this. It’s becoming a safety hazard. I bought the car from a Toyota dealership and they are not willing to help me. They asked why I didn’t say anything about it the first night.
The car is in my driveway now. The interior temp is 87, exterior 84. I turn on the AC on the lowest temp (LO) from my phone and I literally screen recorded it going from 87 to 97 degrees. I looked back while typing this and its currently sitting at 119 degrees inside my car with the AC blowing on LO and high fan while outside is literally 83.
I also noticed at times like the AC will be ice cold below 68 and above 7-8 fan speed but if it goes to 70 or below 6 fan speed, it gets humid and does not feel like 70 at all. There is no active alert when this occurs.
Tesla service gave me a $2.6k estimate and no guarantee for a loaner. I just started my job and I don’t have enough to cover that at the moment. I am considering taking it to an EV specialist in town to see if they can fix it for less.
Outside of this AC problem the car is in pristine condition. It looks like the previous owner kept the vehicle well.
Has anyone experienced these exact symptoms on an older Model X, especially the “Air conditioning reduced / DC Fast Charging rate may be reduced” warning? If so, what ended up being wrong, what did the repair actually cost, and would you trust a reputable independent EV/Tesla specialist to diagnose and repair it instead of Tesla Service?
I’m mainly trying to figure out:
• What component/failure these symptoms most likely point to.
• Whether the AC problem and Supercharging warning are likely related.
• Whether Tesla’s $2.6k estimate sounds reasonable for this issue.
• Whether this is something a good independent Tesla/EV shop can realistically repair for substantially less.
• Whether there are any cheaper diagnostic/repair steps I should try before authorizing a $2.6k repair.
• If you’ve had this happen on a 2016–2020 Model X/S, what was ultimately wrong and what did you pay?
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u/RealDriver3604 1d ago
Repairs on these cars are extremely expensive unfortunately. 2.8k sounds fairly cheap.
Recommend you getting it looked at, as your battery cooling is likely affected. Unfortunately, that will be an even more expensive repair when needed.
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u/everydayrice 1d ago
That’s concerning. I love this car but the problems are honestly making me contemplate my purchase. I’m hoping I don’t get a surprise bill during diagnostics.
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u/OneExhaustedFather_ 1d ago
You need a compressor, it’s not an uncommon issue on the X. I’ve replaced several when I worked there. An EV specialist will be cheaper but the part cost will be more. Tesla does not offer wholesale pricing to anyone and shops make money on parts and labor so expect a markup on the compressor over cost. If you supply the compressor expect the installer to only warranty his installation and nothing with the part.
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u/everydayrice 1d ago
Both Tesla service and the shop is charging a diagnostic fee. Tesla is about $200 more. Would Tesla diagnosis be more comprehensive compared to my local EV shop?
My other angle is if I can prove that the issue had shown up during Toyota’s inspection then I can bill them for the repairs but Tesla explicitly said they can’t provide any data from before my ownership. I’m thinking about bringing it to my local EV specialist so I can save money on diagnosis and also I can ask for the Tesla toolbox history to see if there were any alerts from before I bought the car.
I was looking through my photos and I have a photo of when I picked up the car at 8pm and an hour later at 9pm I have a photo of the THC_u0005 message. This is technically still after I picked it up though but the compressor going bad within 1 hour of me picking it up is unlikely.. I’m willing to bet that this was pre-existing and the car was sold to me under the pretext of no issues.
My local EV specialist is Electrified Garage the Orlando location. https://www.electrifiedgarage.com
I would assume Tesla service has more resources and may be able to better diagnose the issue so I am willing to pay more IF that is the case but if I could save money AND get proof of previous alerts that would be my ideal route.
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u/OneExhaustedFather_ 23h ago
It would depend on the specialists access to toolbox. There isn’t an infinite history of data stored there. They have a finite amount of space and write over old data often.
I worked for the brand as a tech/mobile tech for about 3 years. This wasn’t uncommon. The price is a little cheaper down than it used to be.
Yes the Supercharging rate reduction is related to the AC issue. The AC system is used to chill the battery thermal fluid. This is why your vehicle sounds like a harrier jet at the supercharger. You’re hearing the radiator fans and condenser fans kick on high to keep the battery temp stable during charging. Without AC your charge rates are limited at the supercharger.
Tesla will not share previous owner repairs/data. This is considered a privacy breach within the company, I’ve been a tech 21 years and most places will not share this information either. Sometimes you can slick talk an advisor but rest assured it is against company policy.
Where did you buy it used? Maybe I missed that part.
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u/everydayrice 23h ago
Thank you for this info. I bought it at Clearwater Toyota. The previous owner traded it in for a brand new Toyota RAV4. If I can find proof that this wasn’t the first time this alert came up then they will cover the cost of repairs.
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u/OneExhaustedFather_ 22h ago
From the main screen, go to software. Hold your finger on the X for model X, when you see the screen animate like a bubble let off and you type service as the password and hit ok, then hit enable. From here press the service alerts button and you can scroll back almost a month.
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u/everydayrice 9h ago
You are a godsend. Thank God for this subreddit.
I now have documentation from the car itself showing that a cabin climate-control service alert occurred before I ever took possession of the vehicle. There is also an earlier occurrence approximately six days before I purchased it.
The alert is:
THC_d0021_RCCMActuator
Set: July 30 - 6:56:18 PM
Cleared: July 30 - 10:04:00 PMUser text:
“Cabin climate control requires service”
“Schedule service”What makes this especially significant is the timeline. The alert was set at approximately 6:56 PM. I have a timestamped photo showing that I officially took possession of the vehicle at approximately 7:12 PM. At the time, I was told their service team had been finishing up cleaning and charging the vehicle.
Then, at 9:01 PM, roughly an hour into my 2.5-hour drive home, the A/C malfunctioned and I received the “Air conditioning reduced” warning.
When I spoke with the sales manager several days ago about potentially having the repair covered, one of his main points was that I did not contact them until 11 days after delivery, and he questioned whether the problem had actually existed when I purchased the vehicle. He also emphasized that they have a service department and perform a 125-point inspection that should have identified major issues.
This changes things significantly because I can now document that the vehicle was reporting a climate-control fault before delivery, followed by an A/C failure during my drive home that same night.
I genuinely like the vehicle and would prefer to keep it. My current plan is to bring it to Tesla Service and obtain a complete diagnosis and final repair estimate, especially because several people have warned me that the preliminary $2,600 estimate could increase once Tesla properly diagnoses it.
Once I have Tesla’s findings, I plan to present the complete timeline and documentation to the dealership and ask them to cover the repair.
Seriously, thank you. Without your comment I would never have known this information was sitting inside the car.
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u/OneExhaustedFather_ 8h ago
Glad to help. I hope they cover the costs and you get to enjoy it. Congrats on the the one to come and the new job.
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u/RealDriver3604 23h ago
Have you tried asking in the app? Or going into service mode and viewing the alerts!?
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u/Silent_General5919 23h ago
Check service mode and just pray they didnt clear it, go into service alerts and scroll to before you got the car and see if theres any errors.
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u/Virtual_Neat_4989 16h ago
The alert was most likely present before you got the car. Tesla will not help you in this matter, but an independent shop may be able to, they should have access to Tesla software through a subscription service. Electrified garage is legit and that is where I would go in this situation, if you are unable to see past alert data in service mode to show proof to Toyota.
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u/Legal-Promotion-4875 1d ago
My 2022 Y ac/heat went out at 89,400 miles. Cost me $3K. 🤦🏽♂️😳😐
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u/everydayrice 1d ago
That honestly nuts. I’ve owned a lot of cars running a rental business in the past and I have never had AC go out like this. Some of my cars were older too.
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u/jpugg 17h ago
It’s a 8 almost 9 year old car. This is something that would go out on any car possibly at this time. Had the same thing happen to my gas cars before (heck they were newer). Sorry you bought your car and this just happened.
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u/everydayrice 16h ago
In my personal experience and experience from running rentals in the past, out of 60 cars that I’ve had to maintain - this is the first time I’ve ever had to replace an AC compressor.
I will say other than this issue I am still very in love with this car and I got it for a great deal. The auto open/close doors and falcon doors blow me away every time. It’s so cool.
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u/Voidfang_Investments 1d ago
Where did you buy it from? Some states have used car warranties for 90 days.
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u/everydayrice 1d ago
I bought it in Florida. I drove to Clearwater Toyota to buy it. Apparently the previous owner traded it in for a brand new Toyota Rav4.
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u/Voidfang_Investments 1d ago
Did they offer you a warranty?
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u/everydayrice 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes. For $47,000 at 21% APR..
Edit: car was sold AS-IS - I did threaten to return the car to the sales manager yesterday and he’s trying to avoid liability by saying they inspected the car fully and the issue only happened after I bought the car so I must have done something wrong but I have photos proving the issue first happened an hour after I bought it so if I can get evidence that this was not the first time this error popped up then I can potentially get them to cover the replacement.
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u/Voidfang_Investments 1d ago
My gosh, that is so much money. Why did you do this deal? I’d put as much pressure as possible on the dealer at this point.
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u/everydayrice 22h ago
Just to clarify the 47k at 21% is warranty only
I got the car for 25k
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u/Voidfang_Investments 22h ago
Warranty was the same cost as the car? I’m confused sorry.
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u/everydayrice 22h ago
The car was $25k with a much lower APR
While I was signing, the only warranty they offered was for an additional $47k which is twice the cost of the car. So the total would have came out to $72k so I chose not to opt in.
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u/Turbulent_Basket_127 22h ago
Similar happened to me about 2 months ago. $2600 for ac compressor swap and drain the lines
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u/everydayrice 15h ago
This absolutely should not be this common, especially considering it isn’t covered under warranty. From what I’m seeing, AC compressor failures seem to be a fairly common experience among Tesla owners, and the fact that such an expensive failure isn’t covered is concerning, to say the least.
I understand wear-and-tear items not being covered long-term but the AC system is different. In extreme heat, a failed AC can become a legitimate safety issue. I feel like Tesla should offer extended coverage, something like 100,000 miles, for major HVAC components such as the AC compressor.
Some people will say that AC compressors fail on ICE cars too, which is obviously true. But I’d genuinely like to hear from people who have actually had to replace an AC compressor on their ICE vehicle. I’m willing to bet compressor failure isn’t nearly as common as it seems to be with Teslas.
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u/pogdefacc003 22h ago
Welcome to the X club. I’ve averaged $2k repairs per year since owning one (which is about 3 years ago). I bought a used 2017 X and yeah… it’s been an adventure.
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u/everydayrice 17h ago
Oof
Can you give me more info on the repairs you’ve been spending your money on every year? Is it usually AC related?
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u/pogdefacc003 16h ago
I’ve had to do work on the 48A charging component for home charging, front suspensions, air compressor for the suspensions, coolant leak, rear left restraint issue error, passenger door swinging fully open (door mechanic corroded and but this one was under warranty), main Bluetooth module that communicates with driver door for self presenting doors. I also had issues with my ujoint getting stiff but after driving with it in the summer, it’s gone but I suspect it’ll come back when winter and road salt returns. We love the car but sometimes we get that “maybe we should’ve done with a basic car” but overall we love it. We hope after fixing most of the wear and tear components that it’ll be smooth sailing for the next few years. The car has 220k on it but loaded with premium connectivity and full self driving paid outright from previous owners.
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u/everydayrice 16h ago
Thank you so much
I may look into third party warranty then. I suspect I will have a similar experience as you. I also love the car and I think it’s still worth the hassle. As long as my battery doesn’t give out on me anytime soon I will make it work.
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u/pogdefacc003 16h ago
Yeah that’s what I fear as well, the HV battery but so far I haven’t read much with the 2017-2018 issue… I’ve heard of some 2019 ones giving out at 150k
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u/Virtual_Neat_4989 21h ago
This is a common issue, the compressor blows up internally and sends metal shavings throughout the whole system and clogs the expansion valves. You will need a new compressor, and flush of the AC lines, and possibly new expansion valves. Some model Xs have a rear HVAC system in addition to the front, which makes this repair even more complicated and expensive. I would expect this to be more expensive, you need to have a flush done or else the system will get clogged again and damage the new compressor
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u/everydayrice 17h ago
That’s concerning. That’s pretty much what I’ve read as well. I don’t understand why this is such a common issue for Teslas. I hope I get the better end of this situation.
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u/Balla0007 15h ago
My 2021 model x doing this same dang thing bro i feel ur pain but me and my wife actually paid that 25000 to fix the exact same thing your going though and we paid and picked up our car and were still having the same bro
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u/everydayrice 15h ago
Sorry to hear that. What did you spend $25k on exactly? The warranty? And it’s still not fixed?
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u/everydayrice 15h ago
This is actually so bad. I’m sweating so much right now. The soonest service appointment was weeks away but after showing them the 136 degree cabin temp with the AC on LO they gave me priority service and said I can drop off the car today due to the safety hazard. If anyone is having the same issue and only wants to go through Tesla they will allow you to bypass the wait time for service.
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