Dead 12-volt start battery
Dead 12-volt start batteryEarlier, August of 2024 to be exact, we got a panicked call from a friend whose car, a Tesla Model Y, was giving her real headaches. It turned out to have a dead 12-volt start battery.
A number of messages were being displayed in a seemingly random fashion on her instrument panel, but one indicated a problem with the 12-volt battery. Her car is electric, so when she seeing battery caused the panic, but in effect all EVs have 12-volt batteries too, needed to start the electronics. We posted on this at our website and you can see it here.
She was fortunate to have enough power left to actually get in the car. However, no Tesla models have mechanical keys available to accomplish this if the 12-volt battery is actually dead.
The video demonstrates how to get inside a Tesla if the 12-volt battery dies so that the battery can be charged or replaced. The instructions are in the owner’s manual, which inside the locked car on the center screen.
Each model has are two wires, red and black or positive and negative, available somewhere at the front of the Tesla to connect to. The Model 3, Model Y and Model S give identical access behind tow eye cover in the bumper on the left side. The gif file to right is a pretty good demo, but its more difficult in practice.
We added the Model X and Cybertruck as well. You can see the video here on our Tesla page here or on YouTube here.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
Level 1: This level requires only a standard 110V/120V plug found in your home or apartment. A grounded adapter, like the one shown to the right, will have been supplied with the car. Charging at Level 1 adds 3 to 4 miles of range per hour of charging.
the car, is shown to the right.
There are three standards: Combined Charging System (CCS), CHAdeMO (CHArge de(for) MOve(ing)), and North American Charging Standard (NACS). We’ll ignore the second one, which was developed in Japan, and you should as well in deciding on a purchase as it is used by only a handful of manufacturers, has only a small charging network, and is being superseded. Due to simplicity, lighter weight cabling and extensive network, the NACS standard, a Tesla creation, is slowly being adopted by nearly all auto manufacturers selling vehicles here in the U.S. However, be absolutely sure the connectors on the car are correct if you choose something other than a Tesla and wish to use its network.
adapted to charge CCS-equipped cars as well, but they are few and far between currently. Finally, the CCS network will also be transformed to handle the NACS standard.
catch up. Ford and GM will reportedly be ready with the 2020 model year, and the last 6 weeks or so have truly provided the evidence that it is sorely needed, now.
The second and eighth issues cover hybrids. The first can actually result in a fire because of unburned fuel, while the second can lead to a stall. And there’s never a good time for a stall.
The Risks
announcement shown in the picture of a Tesla screen would be more than sufficient to cover an update.
system rather than improving it. Other manufacturers, where they have the capability to update their infotainment centers, have experienced similar problems. Mistakes of this type could impact a far more critical system in any car at any time.
Recall Targets Tesla Typefaces
What Size Type?
Way back in 2012, we noted in a post linked here that a group at MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) was doing a study on typefaces that would mitigate driver distraction. That is, typefaces that would be the least distracting.
And while it was a time where there was a lot of attention focused on driver distraction, our take was that while the intent of the research was laudable, it would make more sense to remove text altogether! That is, if a GPS system can give audible turn by turn directions, couldn’t text be shifted to spoken word?
A “Recall”?
Well, we appear to be full circle, as Tesla has had to “recall” pretty much every car they’ve ever produced to correct the size of the type they use in warning lights on instrument panels! Twelve years after we posted on the typeface study, the maker of some of the most sophisticated cars ever built, is being forced to adjust the text in its warning lights with what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) terms as a “recall”.
The word “recall” belongs in quotes throughout because the problem was handled within days by an over-the-air (OTA) update.
Critics on the social media platform X have made fun of the issue, with some poking fun of the notices sent to Tesla owners through the mail that arrived
after the OTA update had already been applied (above, right)!
Still others noted that manufacturers are required to send the notifications under the NHTSA rules!
And still others noted the ridiculous waste of paper (trees!) and postage involved. One even took a photo of an envelope addressed to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (right). In the envelope, aside from a letter asking for a change in the rules, he included the letters that were sent to him by Tesla.
We called for the warning light system to be scrapped years ago, but no dice. The legacy warning indicators persist, not to mention the legacy recall system, so we’ll call for that to be replaced as well. Maybe the phase out of ICE vehicles will lead to a phase out of both the warning light and recall systems.
——————————————————————-
Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY