Fatal error, Shock and tilt, 12 V Bat, the Honeymoon is starting to sour

[Nogasjustcords]

I am not much of a blogger, but after reading some of these posts, I think it's time to try and get some insight as to what's going on with my car. I took delivery in June, and it currently has just over 5 K miles on it. I have had a Tesla X as well as a S P-85, and enjoyed them both, as long as we were in town. Since we have owned them, I feel somewhat EV knowledgeable as to how they operate and perform. We LOVE, our LUCID to the point that I have 2 more set for delivery next month, but I am getting a bit nervous and hope they resolve the issues with the one I have before the other ones get here. Last month, our Grand Touring decided to stop in the middle of the road on a Sunday, fortunately it was a pretty quiet street, so we weren't in danger of getting ran over. We had to call customer service to get a reboot and allow us to continue on. The following day, it stopped abruptly again, this time on a busier street displaying a 12-volt error code. We couldn't push, pull, or drive it out of the way. Wrecker had to come and drag it up on a flatbed because it would not jump for the poles behind the passenger wheels or even roll. Both times a warning came on the dash, with the first one saying something like: FATAL ERROR pull over and call customer service. We were doing about 25 mph and it didn't give us time to do anything, as it stopped dead in its tracks! Nothing worked, no lights, windows, doors, etc. so we had to call customer service. They managed to reboot it, so we returned it to the house. The next morning, my Wife had no choice but to use the car as she had a doctor's appointment. She got 3 miles down the road, and a different warning light popped up, saying 12 V battery error, pull over, call Customer Service. Again, it stopped dead in its tracks, wouldn't roll, nothing! The flashers worked for about 20 minutes before they died, so there it set in the middle of the road blocking cars in both directions. We called customer service, who called another customer service, who called us back to arrange for a flatbed to come tow the car to Riviera Beach.

I still love my car, but it has now been there a month. Customer service, while cordial, hasn't been able to really nail down and explain why they haven't been able to resolve my issue. I believe I have been patient; I understand things happen, and there will be inconveniences with new things. However, when I combine the ongoing issue with my shock/tilt alarm that has gone off regularly since I have had it, inconsistent charging problems, and harness issues that make the dash lights go out on occasion, it may be time for someone to squeeze the lemon and replace it.

 

[Electrified]

My car gets delivered Thursday, my commute is savage and having my car go dead in any lane of the expressway is really hazardous. I'm really hoping that this 12 volt issue that causes the car to suddenly stop has been resolved with my recent build.

 

[zkhan2]

I’ve had 12V battery failure on my Tesla before driving on I95 50 miles from home. The EV industry needs to start reassessing how to implement accessory power. My Air GT has been in the shop for over two weeks now due to some drivetrain error (not sure if it’s 12V related).

Here are two good articles on 12V battery issues.

Did You Know: There Are 12 Volt Batteries In Electric Vehicles

Your EV has a 12V battery, just like other cars. But what’s different?

www.recurrentauto.com

Why Electric Cars Still Use Ordinary 12-Volt Batteries

Your gas car uses an alternator to charge its 12-volt battery. An electric car uses a device called a "DC-DC Converter." Here's how that works.

jalopnik.com

And a YT on the issue and I like his potential fix, which I have not tried

 

[stratus]

I am not much of a blogger, but after reading some of these posts, I think it's time to try and get some insight as to what's going on with my car. I took delivery in June, and it currently has just over 5 K miles on it. I have had a Tesla X as well as a S P-85, and enjoyed them both, as long as we were in town. Since we have owned them, I feel somewhat EV knowledgeable as to how they operate and perform. We LOVE, our LUCID to the point that I have 2 more set for delivery next month, but I am getting a bit nervous and hope they resolve the issues with the one I have before the other ones get here. Last month, our Grand Touring decided to stop in the middle of the road on a Sunday, fortunately it was a pretty quiet street, so we weren't in danger of getting ran over. We had to call customer service to get a reboot and allow us to continue on. The following day, it stopped abruptly again, this time on a busier street displaying a 12-volt error code. We couldn't push, pull, or drive it out of the way. Wrecker had to come and drag it up on a flatbed because it would not jump for the poles behind the passenger wheels or even roll. Both times a warning came on the dash, with the first one saying something like: FATAL ERROR pull over and call customer service. We were doing about 25 mph and it didn't give us time to do anything, as it stopped dead in its tracks! Nothing worked, no lights, windows, doors, etc. so we had to call customer service. They managed to reboot it, so we returned it to the house. The next morning, my Wife had no choice but to use the car as she had a doctor's appointment. She got 3 miles down the road, and a different warning light popped up, saying 12 V battery error, pull over, call Customer Service. Again, it stopped dead in its tracks, wouldn't roll, nothing! The flashers worked for about 20 minutes before they died, so there it set in the middle of the road blocking cars in both directions. We called customer service, who called another customer service, who called us back to arrange for a flatbed to come tow the car to Riviera Beach.

I still love my car, but it has now been there a month. Customer service, while cordial, hasn't been able to really nail down and explain why they haven't been able to resolve my issue. I believe I have been patient; I understand things happen, and there will be inconveniences with new things. However, when I combine the ongoing issue with my shock/tilt alarm that has gone off regularly since I have had it, inconsistent charging problems, and harness issues that make the dash lights go out on occasion, it may be time for someone to squeeze the lemon and replace it.

Oh man, another instance of the car stopping abruptly in the middle of the road. Very sorry you experienced this and glad you are safe. Again, this is the number one concern for many people who own this car and I hope Lucid figures this out and communicate it’s findings.
To be honest, reading about this has made me overly cautious about driving the vehicle on busy highways and that is unfortunate.
Granted , these instances are amplified on this forum but they seem to occur with a high enough frequency to raise significant concern.

 

[Electrified]

I’ve had 12V battery failure on my Tesla before driving on I95 50 miles from home. The EV industry needs to start reassessing how to implement accessory power. My Air GT has been in the shop for over two weeks now due to some drivetrain error (not sure if it’s 12V related).

Here are two good articles on 12V battery issues.

Did You Know: There Are 12 Volt Batteries In Electric Vehicles

Your EV has a 12V battery, just like other cars. But what’s different?

www.recurrentauto.com

Why Electric Cars Still Use Ordinary 12-Volt Batteries

Your gas car uses an alternator to charge its 12-volt battery. An electric car uses a device called a "DC-DC Converter." Here's how that works.

jalopnik.com

And a YT on the issue and I like his potential fix, which I have not tried

Good reads and watch, the Jalopnik link did a good job explaining the technical side and it mentions that lead acid batteries in EV's don't get the high current load that a battery see's when starting an ICEV thus allowing deposits to build on the battery plates in an EV; assuming this is the battery sulfating you would think that the EV manufacturers would have a desulfating device built in?

From the Recurrent link: What's up with the 12 volt battery in the Hyundai Kona doing dead from the trunk being open, it's more years than I can remember that cars have had timed circuits to kill power after ten minutes to save the battery from going dead.

 

[Bob Lahblaw]

Very sorry to hear this.

And yes, these reports, albeit a handful (so far) of the car just stopping with little to know warning, have made me avoid using the car on any long trips, very reluctant to take it on the espressway, and generally nervous whenever otherwise driving it around town. Which is quite silly for a $150K USD car, and how damn much fun it is otherwise to drive.

In the past, I’ve only been new-car nervous about a first-month parking lot ding or rock-flung-paint-chip. I’ve never been worried about the car just up and dying (even with my one-time V70R inexplicably dropping dead on an expressway 1 week new…was nervous for a week or two after repair, then forgot all about it).

I’ve called Customer Care, expressing this reluctance, and asking to please let me know of any info as to extra care steps or early warning signals, to minimize my nervousness. The rep said they were aware of the issue and were actively looking into it, and would get back to me if/when they learned anything. As I clearly am not their only customer, I suspect I’ll be better off in the short-run watching this forum for info/clues on dead-in-tracks warnings, and tips on how to avoid.

 

[zkhan2]

Good reads and watch, the Jalopnik link did a good job explaining the technical side and it mentions that lead acid batteries in EV's don't get the high current load that a battery see's when starting an ICEV thus allowing deposits to build on the battery plates in an EV; assuming this is the battery sulfating you would think that the EV manufacturers would have a desulfating device built in?

From the Recurrent link: What's up with the 12 volt battery in the Hyundai Kona doing dead from the trunk being open, it's more years than I can remember that cars have had timed circuits to kill power after ten minutes to save the battery from going dead.

After reading this, if the 12V prongs were more readily available, I would plug it into my trickle charger/conditioner. For example, my battery on my '68 Olds 442 is a yellow top Optima and I have wired it with the SAE quick release adapter (universal standard), and the connector is behind my front license plate. As soon as I garage the car, I just connect the charger to it.

Better yet, why can't a charge module be done automatically when connected to a wall charger for the 12V as well or have the DC/DC converter always on when in charge mode.

12V is way too low for the number of power hungry systems in the car. The displays, computers, infotainment, and other features will drain these batteries quickly unless there is sufficient charge coming in while driving and perhaps the DC/DC converter initiates if the car goes below 12.6V when the car is not driven.

I love the fact that you can see the voltage for the 12V on the car app in the YT video.

 

[SDHacker]

I am not much of a blogger, but after reading some of these posts, I think it's time to try and get some insight as to what's going on with my car. I took delivery in June, and it currently has just over 5 K miles on it. I have had a Tesla X as well as a S P-85, and enjoyed them both, as long as we were in town. Since we have owned them, I feel somewhat EV knowledgeable as to how they operate and perform. We LOVE, our LUCID to the point that I have 2 more set for delivery next month, but I am getting a bit nervous and hope they resolve the issues with the one I have before the other ones get here. Last month, our Grand Touring decided to stop in the middle of the road on a Sunday, fortunately it was a pretty quiet street, so we weren't in danger of getting ran over. We had to call customer service to get a reboot and allow us to continue on. The following day, it stopped abruptly again, this time on a busier street displaying a 12-volt error code. We couldn't push, pull, or drive it out of the way. Wrecker had to come and drag it up on a flatbed because it would not jump for the poles behind the passenger wheels or even roll. Both times a warning came on the dash, with the first one saying something like: FATAL ERROR pull over and call customer service. We were doing about 25 mph and it didn't give us time to do anything, as it stopped dead in its tracks! Nothing worked, no lights, windows, doors, etc. so we had to call customer service. They managed to reboot it, so we returned it to the house. The next morning, my Wife had no choice but to use the car as she had a doctor's appointment. She got 3 miles down the road, and a different warning light popped up, saying 12 V battery error, pull over, call Customer Service. Again, it stopped dead in its tracks, wouldn't roll, nothing! The flashers worked for about 20 minutes before they died, so there it set in the middle of the road blocking cars in both directions. We called customer service, who called another customer service, who called us back to arrange for a flatbed to come tow the car to Riviera Beach.

I still love my car, but it has now been there a month. Customer service, while cordial, hasn't been able to really nail down and explain why they haven't been able to resolve my issue. I believe I have been patient; I understand things happen, and there will be inconveniences with new things. However, when I combine the ongoing issue with my shock/tilt alarm that has gone off regularly since I have had it, inconsistent charging problems, and harness issues that make the dash lights go out on occasion, it may be time for someone to squeeze the lemon and replace it.

Wondering if your car stopped getting OTA updates since two of the updates addressed the shock & tilt and 12V dying with no warning. If your car was up to date then pretty disappointing you didn't get the 10 minute warning on your 12V.

12V is way too low for the number of power hungry systems in the car.

There's a difference between the voltage of the system and the capacity. It's not that 12V is too low since all the systems in the car are designed to operate at that voltage. It's that the capacity of the batteries (which some have likened to the size associated with home alarm systems) can only run the 12V systems for a very limited amount of time. It's not like on a Navigator where there is a huge battery capable of running infotainment and other systems for many hours without the alternator recharging it..

 

[zkhan2]

There's a difference between the voltage of the system and the capacity. It's not that 12V is too low since all the systems in the car are designed to operate at that voltage. It's that the capacity of the batteries (which some have likened to the size associated with home alarm systems) can only run the 12V systems for a very limited amount of time. It's not like on a Navigator where there is a huge battery capable of running infotainment and other systems for many hours without the alternator recharging it..

Yes, I should have clarified Ah. That's why I switched to the Optima in my other car due to the amount of electronics I have in that restomod.

 

[Bob Lahblaw]

“…little to know warning….”

I wish to blame auto-correct.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.

 

[KySerenity]

I am not much of a blogger, but after reading some of these posts, I think it's time to try and get some insight as to what's going on with my car. I took delivery in June, and it currently has just over 5 K miles on it. I have had a Tesla X as well as a S P-85, and enjoyed them both, as long as we were in town. Since we have owned them, I feel somewhat EV knowledgeable as to how they operate and perform. We LOVE, our LUCID to the point that I have 2 more set for delivery next month, but I am getting a bit nervous and hope they resolve the issues with the one I have before the other ones get here. Last month, our Grand Touring decided to stop in the middle of the road on a Sunday, fortunately it was a pretty quiet street, so we weren't in danger of getting ran over. We had to call customer service to get a reboot and allow us to continue on. The following day, it stopped abruptly again, this time on a busier street displaying a 12-volt error code. We couldn't push, pull, or drive it out of the way. Wrecker had to come and drag it up on a flatbed because it would not jump for the poles behind the passenger wheels or even roll. Both times a warning came on the dash, with the first one saying something like: FATAL ERROR pull over and call customer service. We were doing about 25 mph and it didn't give us time to do anything, as it stopped dead in its tracks! Nothing worked, no lights, windows, doors, etc. so we had to call customer service. They managed to reboot it, so we returned it to the house. The next morning, my Wife had no choice but to use the car as she had a doctor's appointment. She got 3 miles down the road, and a different warning light popped up, saying 12 V battery error, pull over, call Customer Service. Again, it stopped dead in its tracks, wouldn't roll, nothing! The flashers worked for about 20 minutes before they died, so there it set in the middle of the road blocking cars in both directions. We called customer service, who called another customer service, who called us back to arrange for a flatbed to come tow the car to Riviera Beach.

I still love my car, but it has now been there a month. Customer service, while cordial, hasn't been able to really nail down and explain why they haven't been able to resolve my issue. I believe I have been patient; I understand things happen, and there will be inconveniences with new things. However, when I combine the ongoing issue with my shock/tilt alarm that has gone off regularly since I have had it, inconsistent charging problems, and harness issues that make the dash lights go out on occasion, it may be time for someone to squeeze the lemon and replace it.

Please go to thread “Poll - 12V issue” and complete the poll. In addition, please document your problems in this thread so that all owners can view the frequency of this problem in a single thread.

 

[Lfegerber]

This happened to me and did endanger me.

 

[icebergpvb]

This happened to me and did endanger me.

@Lfegerber, would you mind sharing the specifics of your event? Was this recent, given the turtle mode occurrences seemingly slowed last few weeks.
Separately, can anyone share any communication the company has provided to them about turtle mode, cars bricking, etc? Please share if so. Is there a recall in process for the affected cars? Thank you for any insights.

 

[Nogasjustcords]

Please go to thread “Poll - 12V issue” and complete the poll. In addition, please document your problems in this thread so that all owners can view the frequency of this problem in a single thread.

@Lfegerber, would you mind sharing the specifics of your event? Was this recent, given the turtle mode occurrences seemingly slowed last few weeks.
Separately, can anyone share any communication the company has provided to them about turtle mode, cars bricking, etc? Please share if so. Is there a recall in process for the affected cars? Thank you for any insights.

Both of these happened withing 2 days of each other back in July

 

[icebergpvb]

Both of these happened withing 2 days of each other back in July

Incorrect. There are over 20 individual posts about this topic with affected owners.

 

[Nogasjustcords]

Incorrect. There are over 20 individual posts about this topic with affected owners.

I'm sorry, you may have misunderstood me as my posts about it is on another thread. I am referring only to the time it happened to me personally.

 

[Nogasjustcords]

I'm sorry, you may have misunderstood me as my posts about it is on another thread. I am referring only to the time it happened to me personally.

I responded in the wrong place most likely

 

[icebergpvb]

I'm sorry, you may have misunderstood me as my posts about it is on another thread. I am referring only to the time it happened to me personally.

Apologies, I am very sorry to hear that. Hope it is fixed for you.