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2013 Tesla Model S: battery drain or dead battery

5 of the 461 complaints about the 2013 Tesla Model S describe battery drain or dead battery.

owner complaints
5
of this car's complaints
1%
recalls
3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 16 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below

Battery drain or dead battery by model year

  • 2021
    1
  • 2018
    1
  • 2016
    1
  • 2015
    3
  • 2014
    1
  • 2013
    5
  • 2012
    1

What owners say

Filed Nov 8, 2024 · Acceleration · CA

While driving on the freeway at 70 MPH with 39 miles of range left, the vehicle abruptly slowed down to 20 MPH...cars behind us almost hit us due to the car slowing down despite me accelerating. We pulled to the right shoulder, rest the car and then was only able to go up to 20MPH...range still said 39 miles. Shortly after the car stopped, there was a warning displayed, and the car turned off and could no longer turn back on. I believe the battery failed. The car was towed to Tesla Irvine Barranca Service center and diagnostics confirmed the battery needed replacement. I traded in the car for a new vehicle. Safety of the driver, passengers, and the around us on the freeway were all at risk and we were lucky to avoid any issues. All Tesla told me was the battery died There was a warning that appeared when the car slowed down to 20mph...stating the car was no longer able to be driven

Filed Jan 20, 2022 · Electrical · LA

Mobile charger will not charge. Green light but will not charge. Failure may leave driver stranded in a remote location without ability to charge and parasitic drain will permanently damage the battery pack and vehicle

Filed Dec 13, 2021 · Electrical · NC · crash · 1 injury

The rear view camera did not deploy when I was backing out of a driveway and I was struck by another vehicle. The police determined it was a no-fault accident. My insurance company deemed me primarily responsible. I was unable to see any oncoming traffic because the camera was not working and there were obstacles to seeing oncoming traffic. The car was deemed totaled by the mechanic and my insurance company. The car battery died soon after the accident and the vehicle remains in my garage and is immovable. I sustained minor head, neck and back injuries.

Filed Aug 16, 2021 · Transmission · IL

RE: the federal safety agency Action Number: DP19005 - INVESTIGATION Subject : Battery Management Software Updates Dear sirs, my 2013 Tesla Model S p85 is a victim of this battery management software update that has reduced my driving range and time to takes to recharge the battery. this is a safety concern because I cannot drive as far (the range) as the manufacturer promised and I cannot recharge as fast as the manfuacuterer promised. I was forced to program this software update in my car, it was claimed as a must have safety update and the affect was reduced range and usability of this car. For example, if I had a medical emercengy while driving the car and needed to get to the hospital, and the car had this range reduction software, I might have a dead battery before I can get to the hospital. this is crazy! and when I try to recharge it take twice as long to recharge as the manufacturer claims, this is crazy too. Please help.

Filed Oct 6, 2020 · Lights, Suspension · 90,000 miles · NC

Was supercharging about 7 hours away from home, my screen turned off and would not reboot.. The dreaded mcu failure every tesla owner fears, and every service center pretends does not exist. My car would not power off, as we were at the beach my A/C was on full blast. My car was now driveable with no key, and the doors would not lock whatsoever. Anyone with or without a key could just walk up touch the handle and get into my car. I had to stay close to superchargers as my A/C drained the battery heavily. Tesla essentially told me they would have to have me take it to a service center which were closed for the next 2 days because a mobile tech would not be able to replace it on spot. So now I get to drive 7 hours home in the most stressful situation of my life. As we got away from the coast and the temperature rapidly dropped I had water pouring off my windshield and down the sides of my car and out of my air vents! It was almost impossible to see and incredibly dangerous. My fiancee had to keep a towel in her lap to wipe the windshield every few seconds. Putting the lack of visibility aside and safety of a vehicle thats unable to lock. I had to manually find all tesla superchargers along the route I also had to guesstimate how much charge I would need to make it to the next station which was quite the task due to the high A/C drain. After our last charging stop we had maybe 120 miles to go and I charged to 170ish.. At least 50 more than necessary. There was one point on our trip where we had 16 miles remaining and 17 to go. Somehow through a little help from the man above we made it home with a couple miles to spare. It completely astounds me that tesla could just brush off such a horrendous failure of a very well known and documented issue. It's not a chance of if it fails as to a matter of when. Stock prices matter more than a customers safety.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Electrical system: instrument cluster/panelReported January 30, 2024 · 2,193,869 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, 2019-2024 Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. An incorrect font size is displayed on the instrument panel for the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Risk
Warning lights with a smaller font size can make critical safety information on the instrument panel difficult to read, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Tesla began releasing an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-003.

Recall number 24V051000 · Recall details

Electrical system: ADAS: driver monitoring: softwareReported December 12, 2023 · 2,031,220 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer leading up to the version(s) that contains the recall remedy. In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature's controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse of the SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance feature.
Risk
In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, and the driver does not maintain responsibility for vehicle operation and is unprepared to intervene as necessary or fails to recognize when Autosteer is canceled or not engaged, there may be an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy
Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-00-008.

Recall number 23V838000 · Recall details

Electrical system: propulsion system: charging: cable/cord: accessoryReported January 13, 2014 · 21,081 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain model year 2013 Model S vehicles equipped for, and delivered with, certain NEMA 14-50 (240 volt) Universal Mobile Connector (UMC) adapters. During charging, the adapter, cord, or wall outlet could overheat.
Risk
An overheated adapter, cord, or wall outlet increases the risk of burn injury and/or fire.
Remedy
Tesla will notify owners and provide an over-the-air (OTA) software update. Some owners have already received this update. This update allows the Model S on board charging system to detect any unexpected fluctuations in the input power or higher resistance connections to the vehicle. If detected, the onboard charging system will automatically reduce the charging current by 25%. Tesla owners can verify that they have received the updated software (version 5.8.4 or later) by viewing the vehicle's center information screen. Additionally, Tesla will mail owners a replacement NEMA 14-50 adapter that is equipped with an internal thermal fuse. The recall began on March 14, 2014. Owners may contact Tesla Service Center at 1-877-79-TESLA (1‑877‑798‑3752).

Recall number 14V006000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2013 Tesla Model S battery drain

Is battery drain or dead battery a common problem on the 2013 Tesla Model S?

5 of 461 owner complaints about the 2013 Tesla Model S (1%) mention battery drain or dead battery. The model year with the most reports is 2013.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Tesla Model S?

There are 3 recalls and 16 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2013 Tesla Model S

Backup camera 56Ball joint 26Screen failure 26Door locks 19Fire or smoke 14Headlights 14Sudden acceleration 13Stalling 9Overheating 8Knocking 6Jerking 6Power steering loss 6Loss of power 5

All model years of the Tesla Model S

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