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Another Data Point - Drive System Fault

j4gates

j4gates

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Location
Maryland
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Air Touring
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2AI634MM
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Welp, after reading several threads the past couple of years for DSFs, I've been dreading this day. On the way to church this morning we made a left turn. Midway through the turn there was slight thud from the drive train, a new whining noise I had never heard, and the dash screen lit up with warnings.

Thankfully, there was a nursing home at the intersection where we turned and we were able to safely pull into the parking lot. Contacted customer care who thankfully answered immediately. They asked for the particulars and initiated the process to have the vehicle towed to the Tyson's Service Center.

The not so great part, so far: there has been no progress in arranging a tow truck in the 3 hours since the call. Thankfully, we were only a few miles from our house. We were able to find someone to provide a ride home to pick up another car - we live in a rural area with no Ubers/taxis within 30 miles. If we had been on a road trip - how we typically use our Air - we would be 3 hours into an undetermined wait on the side of the road.

I fully realize these situations can take time to work out the logistics, so I won't cry into the wind. I'm hopeful this will be taken care of successfully with little drama. Will provide updates on how this goes and pray that none of you see the DSF dashboard in your ownership of these wonderful driving machines.
 
j4gates said:
View attachment 40531

Welp, after reading several threads the past couple of years for DSFs, I've been dreading this day. On the way to church this morning we made a left turn. Midway through the turn there was slight thud from the drive train, a new whining noise I had never heard, and the dash screen lit up with warnings.

Thankfully, there was a nursing home at the intersection where we turned and we were able to safely pull into the parking lot. Contacted customer care who thankfully answered immediately. They asked for the particulars and initiated the process to have the vehicle towed to the Tyson's Service Center.

The not so great part, so far: there has been no progress in arranging a tow truck in the 3 hours since the call. Thankfully, we were only a few miles from our house. We were able to find someone to provide a ride home to pick up another car - we live in a rural area with no Ubers/taxis within 30 miles. If we had been on a road trip - how we typically use our Air - we would be 3 hours into an undetermined wait on the side of the road.

I fully realize these situations can take time to work out the logistics, so I won't cry into the wind. I'm hopeful this will be taken care of successfully with little drama. Will provide updates on how this goes and pray that none of you see the DSF dashboard in your ownership of these wonderful driving machines.
Click to expand...
Is your Air an Air Pure by chance? There was a half shaft bolt recall for these models and if not repaired I was told a DSF could happen suddenly. Maybe not related but just a thought.
 
That's crummy. Fingers crossed for a speedy fix. What year is your AT?
 
RajD said:
Is your Air an Air Pure by chance? There was a half shaft bolt recall for these models and if not repaired I was told a DSF could happen suddenly. Maybe not related but just a thought.
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No, it's an AT. I haven't read up on that recall. Wonder if it's a related issue with the Touring drive units.

knewman said:
That's crummy. Fingers crossed for a speedy fix. What year is your AT?
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Appreciate it. It's a 2023.
 
Received a call from a representative. They are unable to schedule the tow today. Looks like tomorrow. Hope they call in advance so I can meet them where the car is parked. Thankful again we were near home.
 
j4gates said:
View attachment 40531

Welp, after reading several threads the past couple of years for DSFs, I've been dreading this day. On the way to church this morning we made a left turn. Midway through the turn there was slight thud from the drive train, a new whining noise I had never heard, and the dash screen lit up with warnings.

Thankfully, there was a nursing home at the intersection where we turned and we were able to safely pull into the parking lot. Contacted customer care who thankfully answered immediately. They asked for the particulars and initiated the process to have the vehicle towed to the Tyson's Service Center.

The not so great part, so far: there has been no progress in arranging a tow truck in the 3 hours since the call. Thankfully, we were only a few miles from our house. We were able to find someone to provide a ride home to pick up another car - we live in a rural area with no Ubers/taxis within 30 miles. If we had been on a road trip - how we typically use our Air - we would be 3 hours into an undetermined wait on the side of the road.

I fully realize these situations can take time to work out the logistics, so I won't cry into the wind. I'm hopeful this will be taken care of successfully with little drama. Will provide updates on how this goes and pray that none of you see the DSF dashboard in your ownership of these wonderful driving machines.
Click to expand...
I can relate but consider that not all tow trucks can tow all things
Try getting a tow for a 49 year old front wheel drive motor home
So I can understand why it can take awhile
 
j4gates said:
No, it's an AT. I haven't read up on that recall. Wonder if it's a related issue with the Touring drive units.


Appreciate it. It's a 2023.
Click to expand...
I think it’s not the half shaft bolt then. The AWD models are not impacted , as in they won’t shut down if it fails.
 
Car was towed up to Tyson's yesterday. Received a call from the service rep in the evening. They are short-staffed and have received an influx of unexpected vehicles (like mine), so I was told the earliest it would be looked at is next week. They are thinking ahead, though, and started ordering parts as they are fairly certain the front drive unit will need to be replaced.

In my experience the past couple of years, they do have great, courteous people working there, but the staffing cuts and increasing volume of vehicles with warranty issues is very problematic. With no service center expansion in the mid-Atlantic area, this will be a train wreck by next year.
 
Sounds pretty similar to my failure. Pure. Though I got a loud thud right after stamping the throttle. When rolling, it didn’t sound like a half shaft failed mechanically.

Car has been in the service center for a few weeks already, with no ETA when they’ll even work it.
 
Cabonzhp said:
Sounds pretty similar to my failure. Pure. Though I got a loud thud right after stamping the throttle. When rolling, it didn’t sound like a half shaft failed mechanically.

Car has been in the service center for a few weeks already, with no ETA when they’ll even work it.
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It definitely sounded like gearing failed when it happened. I would love to see the autopsy of the drive unit.

Which service center are you at?
 
j4gates said:
It definitely sounded like gearing failed when it happened. I would love to see the autopsy of the drive unit.

Which service center are you at?
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Torrance CA
 
j4gates said:
View attachment 40531

Welp, after reading several threads the past couple of years for DSFs, I've been dreading this day. On the way to church this morning we made a left turn. Midway through the turn there was slight thud from the drive train, a new whining noise I had never heard, and the dash screen lit up with warnings.

Thankfully, there was a nursing home at the intersection where we turned and we were able to safely pull into the parking lot. Contacted customer care who thankfully answered immediately. They asked for the particulars and initiated the process to have the vehicle towed to the Tyson's Service Center.

The not so great part, so far: there has been no progress in arranging a tow truck in the 3 hours since the call. Thankfully, we were only a few miles from our house. We were able to find someone to provide a ride home to pick up another car - we live in a rural area with no Ubers/taxis within 30 miles. If we had been on a road trip - how we typically use our Air - we would be 3 hours into an undetermined wait on the side of the road.

I fully realize these situations can take time to work out the logistics, so I won't cry into the wind. I'm hopeful this will be taken care of successfully with little drama. Will provide updates on how this goes and pray that none of you see the DSF dashboard in your ownership of these wonderful driving machines.
Click to expand...
j4gates said:
View attachment 40531

Welp, after reading several threads the past couple of years for DSFs, I've been dreading this day. On the way to church this morning we made a left turn. Midway through the turn there was slight thud from the drive train, a new whining noise I had never heard, and the dash screen lit up with warnings.

Thankfully, there was a nursing home at the intersection where we turned and we were able to safely pull into the parking lot. Contacted customer care who thankfully answered immediately. They asked for the particulars and initiated the process to have the vehicle towed to the Tyson's Service Center.

The not so great part, so far: there has been no progress in arranging a tow truck in the 3 hours since the call. Thankfully, we were only a few miles from our house. We were able to find someone to provide a ride home to pick up another car - we live in a rural area with no Ubers/taxis within 30 miles. If we had been on a road trip - how we typically use our Air - we would be 3 hours into an undetermined wait on the side of the road.

I fully realize these situations can take time to work out the logistics, so I won't cry into the wind. I'm hopeful this will be taken care of successfully with little drama. Will provide updates on how this goes and pray that none of you see the DSF dashboard in your ownership of these wonderful driving machines.
Click to expand...
Literally a week after receiving the half-shaft recall letter from Lucid re my Air Pure, my wife and I were driving home when I experienced the dreaded Drive System Failure. It occurred a couple of minutes after exiting the freeway while on a busy surface street. I heard what sounded like the mashing of gears near the rear axle while concurrently losing all drive power. Fortunately, I was able to coast into a side street just about 20 ft from when the failure happened. If the failure had happened on the freeway, the incident could have been catastrophic.

Since I live in the Bay Area, Lucid was able to get a flat bed tow truck to me within a reasonable amount of time. The unfortunate part was that Lucid did not have a loaner car, so I was sent to Enterprise for a rental. Also, the damage to the car was extensive, necessitating the replacement of the RDU (rear drive unit) in addition to the half-shaft and all related parts. It took Lucid well over a week to even have an open service bay to push the car into and evaluate it, followed by close to 3 weeks to order parts and make the repairs. My car was out of service for just under 30 days.
 
RONR said:
Literally a week after receiving the half-shaft recall letter from Lucid re my Air Pure, my wife and I were driving home when I experienced the dreaded Drive System Failure. It occurred a couple of minutes after exiting the freeway while on a busy surface street. I heard what sounded like the mashing of gears near the rear axle while concurrently losing all drive power. Fortunately, I was able to coast into a side street just about 20 ft from when the failure happened. If the failure had happened on the freeway, the incident could have been catastrophic.

Since I live in the Bay Area, Lucid was able to get a flat bed tow truck to me within a reasonable amount of time. The unfortunate part was that Lucid did not have a loaner car, so I was sent to Enterprise for a rental. Also, the damage to the car was extensive, necessitating the replacement of the RDU (rear drive unit) in addition to the half-shaft and all related parts. It took Lucid well over a week to even have an open service bay to push the car into and evaluate it, followed by close to 3 weeks to order parts and make the repairs. My car was out of service for just under 30 days.
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Not at all encouraging on the timeline, but appreciate you sharing that intel. Glad it wasn't a more significant event for either of our families.
 
j4gates said:
Not at all encouraging on the timeline, but appreciate you sharing that intel. Glad it wasn't a more significant event for either of our families.
Click to expand...
Perhaps, you'll have a better service experience. The Service Center here in the Bay Area is on overload and is severely undersized. I was told that they are running both day and evening shifts to try and handle the load. And, most importantly, I'm glad both of our families survived the failure without injury. It could have been much worse! Wishing you the best with your repairs.
 
The phone call I received from the service advisor acknowledging they received the car was essentially a preemptive apology for the extended period before they would be able to look at the car. I was disappointed since my previous Lucid service experiences were not remarkably different than ones from legacy manufacturers, but I appreciated the honest expectation setting.

Anecdotally it appears the number of healthy service centers is currently a fraction of the ones struggling to stay above water. The corporate cuts were far more harmful than many people understand...my last-week self included. You can hear a level of exhaustion/helplessness/defeat in the employees' voices. Another departure from my previous interactions.

Editorial comment - I would ask anyone who has complaints about service to not take it out on the local employees. Instead, direct your displeasure at corporate leadership. The current regime may not have created this mess, but they are the ones who have the power to address the shortfalls, not the workers simply playing the cards they have been dealt. Resist the temptation to blame the waiter for the meal botched by the chef.
 
j4gates said:
The phone call I received from the service advisor acknowledging they received the car was essentially a preemptive apology for the extended period before they would be able to look at the car. I was disappointed since my previous Lucid service experiences were not remarkably different than ones from legacy manufacturers, but I appreciated the honest expectation setting.

Anecdotally it appears the number of healthy service centers is currently a fraction of the ones struggling to stay above water. The corporate cuts were far more harmful than many people understand...my last-week self included. You can hear a level of exhaustion/helplessness/defeat in the employees' voices. Another departure from my previous interactions.

Editorial comment - I would ask anyone who has complaints about service to not take it out on the local employees. Instead, direct your displeasure at corporate leadership. The current regime may not have created this mess, but they are the ones who have the power to address the shortfalls, not the workers simply playing the cards they have been dealt. Resist the temptation to blame the waiter for the meal botched by the chef.
Click to expand...
Your experience and impressions track with mine. I've had the same service advisor for all my issues at Lucid's Bay Area service center and he has thanked me for my understanding of the issues they are facing. It was hard for me to not voice my full frustration for the 28 days out of service during my last issue involving a half-shaft and RDU failure that rendered the car impossible to drive. If you or anyone else has the email address for the appropriate Lucid execs, I'll send emails to them. If they don't fix the service center issues, there won't be any repeat customers and they'll spread the word re their dissatisfaction and kill the company. I want them to succeed and love driving my Air, but unless things change, I won't be buying or leasing another when my 3 year lease terminates.
 
RONR said:
Your experience and impressions track with mine. I've had the same service advisor for all my issues at Lucid's Bay Area service center and he has thanked me for my understanding of the issues they are facing. It was hard for me to not voice my full frustration for the 28 days out of service during my last issue involving a half-shaft and RDU failure that rendered the car impossible to drive. If you or anyone else has the email address for the appropriate Lucid execs, I'll send emails to them. If they don't fix the service center issues, there won't be any repeat customers and they'll spread the word re their dissatisfaction and kill the company. I want them to succeed and love driving my Air, but unless things change, I won't be buying or leasing another when my 3 year lease terminates.
Click to expand...
My '24 Air Pure had the Drive System Fault and shuddered to a stop in the middle of the street - luckily on the curb side of a two lane road. I'm assuming its a half-shaft/RDU failure, but the car's been at the shop for 5 days and they haven't been able to look at it. The service advisor told me to expect at least six weeks before I get the car back, maybe more. This is at the Beverly Hills service center. It is too bad that they have let their service capacity to fall so far behind - a six-week (or more!) immobilization of a relatively new luxury car should be an exceptional event, not something that appears to be routine.
 
JoeSmith said:
My '24 Air Pure had the Drive System Fault and shuddered to a stop in the middle of the street - luckily on the curb side of a two lane road. I'm assuming its a half-shaft/RDU failure, but the car's been at the shop for 5 days and they haven't been able to look at it. The service advisor told me to expect at least six weeks before I get the car back, maybe more. This is at the Beverly Hills service center. It is too bad that they have let their service capacity to fall so far behind - a six-week (or more!) immobilization of a relatively new luxury car should be an exceptional event, not something that appears to be routine.
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Did they provide a luxury loaner for 5 days plus 6 weeks ?
 
Anything I wanted from Enterprise. They had a Porsche Macan on the lot, so I took that.
 
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