Car Forums/ Tesla

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign in or Register




Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign in or Register

2013 Tesla Model S Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Posts: 10,126
edited September 2014 in Tesla

image2013 Tesla Model S Long-Term Road Test

Our 2013 Tesla Model S is making an ominous noise under acceleration and deceleration. It originates from the rear of the car.

Read the full story here


Tagged:

Comments

  • gslippygslippy Posts: 514
    The flux capacitor is going bad.
  • agentorangeagentorange Posts: 893
    Sounds like the diff on a 1962 Land Rover.
  • kirkhilles_kirkhilles_ Posts: 151
    Looks like you need a "tune up". Maybe you need to change your oil and spark plugs. Oh wait...
  • bayoubaerbayoubaer Posts: 9
    I hear a 2 hour burnout while plugged in will fix it!
  • hybrishybris Posts: 365
    It is the sound of evil. But seriously considering that the rear end alignment was off lord knows what could be going on under the hood.
  • fordson1fordson1 Posts: 1,512
    There is just volumes they don't know about powering a 4,700-lb. car with a very high-torque electric motor. I suspect all EVs are going to have to come to grips with the instantaneous loads placed upon their transmissions (even one-speed transmissions) by a 100%-of-torque-at-0-RPM powerplant. I don't care how beefy the gearset is...getting hit with that when the gears are completely immobile is going to cause issues. No clutch slip, no torque converter, just...wham.
  • duck87duck87 Posts: 649
    @fordson1: They DO use controllers to control off the line torque and to build a smooth horsepower curve. Otherwise EVs would be almost undriveable!
  • fordson1fordson1 Posts: 1,512
    Thanks, duck87 - but I still bet the answer here is the tranny. Or the diff.
  • gtiguy3gtiguy3 Posts: 12
    I'm completely with fordson1 here; sounds like the diff, and I'm even more convinced because of the exact same reason he just gave.
  • gslippygslippy Posts: 514
    @fordson1: Umm, engineers know how to design gearsets that can accept instantaneous torque. Trains and elevators do this every day.

    That said, even though the S may be suffering from a gear problem, it isn't necessarily due to it being an EV.
  • fordson1fordson1 Posts: 1,512
    Yeah - they know how to do it in weight-and-size-is-no-object applications. This is an application where the battery (the fuel tank) is huge and heavy and everything else has to be flyweight to compensate.
  • andyr2andyr2 Posts: 11
    Well maybe the video didn't do it justice (and I don't have a model S so I may not be qualified to give an opinion) but is the sound really that bad or is it just a minor annoyance? Perhaps this is comparable to how an internal combustion engine develops a bit more noise as it gets older?

    Though I understand it's certainly it's not something you'd be happy with with such an expensive car at only 10,000 miles.
  • rysterryster Posts: 571
    Sounds like the gearbox in an electric R/C car as it ages and starts to loosen up.
  • gslippygslippy Posts: 514
    It's been 4 days - where's the update?
  • fordson1fordson1 Posts: 1,512
    +1 - they said they were getting it in on the 21st. So now there is an update about putting it into park and it makes the driver's door come unlatched - ?
  • temoore_temoore_ Posts: 10
    Wonder if it's related to the alignment issue?
  • gslippygslippy Posts: 514
    Mustn't have been too ominous; it's been a week now with no update.
Sign In or Register to comment.