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Traction Battery Fault, Wheels Locked Up

28K views 67 replies 23 participants last post by  EV Cat 
#1 ·
Took delivery of a new first edition today. 36mi on the odometer and 20mins from the dealer while driving on a city street I hear a loud 'bang' from the rear of the car and there's a shudder.

I think maybe a tire blew out, but the car isn't pulling to any side. An instant later the warning announcements start: Traction Battery Fault Detected, pull over safely, reduced performance.

I pull the car over and it's telling me it's going to shut down. I'm stopped on the side of the road. I attempt to put the car into P, but the warning 'Speed too high for Park' comes up on the screen. I can put it in N. Getting it onto the flatbed to tow back to the dealer the rear wheels are completely locked up and have to be put on skates.

Searching around I don't see much info on similar incidents. Anyone heard of anything similar and how JLR ended up handling it?
 
#2 ·
Welcome. Sorry to hear it.

Hopefully it will be better than Tesla, and you will need less than 5 new rear motors in the first 10,000 miles. One front motor failure has been reported as well as an arson.

You didn't even mention contacting JLR's online cell assistance. How did that work for you?
 
#3 · (Edited)
Note: It appears nearly everyone on this site with one post had an immediate failure. They are coming as a daily stream. It's like the Tesla zealots did to the Volts, but their lack of knowledge of how Volts operate ID'd them as pranksters.
Odd they would only discover there is an internet after they completed the purchase of a $90k car.
The reason I mention this is that I've now driven 4 i-Paces and haven't seen a significant issue during testing.
And the 200 prototypes abused by thousands press members didn't see the high % of failure that "1" posters are listing here.
The "1" posters haven't listed their followups in general so I guess all of them died in a plane accident?
 
#5 ·
Except with a LOT more details and posted by someone who had already joined the site, and has posted afterwards.

Not saying it's a prank ID, but after seeing literally hundreds of them since 2000 on car boards, it shows the normal MO. So there is certainly a possibility.

I'm not claiming the OP is a stock market manipulator, or a scorned Elon Musk lover. Just that one post with a low level of detail on the problem needs more info if it is to be helpful to the community.

We don't work for JLR. We weren't given cars. We are not paid to drive them. We are enthusiasts, not the JLR Help Hotline. And that's how to communicate with with us.

I can't even tell if his car was drivable or rolled in neutral. I do know the OP is not familiar with rear flats on modern cars with SC systems and TPMS. Bright arse TPMS light appears by law, it's not subtle. Car will drive straight and gentle corners. It will destroy your rims.
 
#12 ·
I was driving really fast and suddenly everything rippled and I was driving on the surface of Mars. I quickly shut down the ventilation system and drove really fast and somehow managed to return to Earth. Has anyone else here had this experience? Should I call Jaguar or check myself into the nearest psychiatric facility?

Brent
 
#13 ·
I was about to gravity slingshot around Saturn, but I realized picking on a Saturn Sky was like pushing Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol down the stairs. Not good for the holiday spirit...
 

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#14 ·
Thanks for the welcome. Just a busy guy, sorry for the delay in followup. Pics or it didn't happen for this crew, eh? See attached.

As to the sound, I thought the wheels had hit something. I'm not expecting tires to explode.

The car claimed to be in N, but the rear wheels did not roll. Front wheels did.

Jaguar Stevens Creek in San Jose is the dealer, you can see from the license plate. Update from them just today is they will replace the rear power distribution box and then continue testing. They're seeming to do well by my me at this point, just took a little longer to diagnose than they had expected having to bring in someone expertise as the service staff are not fully trained up yet.

I did use the integrated roadside assistance! They answered fairly shortly, but don't seem to have much info on which car you're calling from or be trained up much on the IPace. After I explained the experience and the warning message on the dash, the person suggested that 'I'll put your car backfired and now you have engine trouble.' Got that corrected.

Then tow company sent out a jumper truck at first rather than a flatbed, as they'd got the message that someone's 'battery had died.' A quick conversation with the driver and they got the flatbed ordered.

It was certainly disappointing. I've been looking forward to taking delivery very much, and the 18 mi I drove was unlike any other performance car I've driven before, including a Tesla. Much more satisfying than the short drives at the autocross-like event Jaguar held earlier in the year.

I hadn't found much info about similar issues, so seems like this is a pretty unique experience from what you guys know?
 

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#15 · (Edited)
Sorry I doubted you. There was a front motor failure on this site. But nothing like what was observed when the Model S debuted with some cars getting up to 5 new rear motors.

I also was not overwhelmed by the 'integrated roadside assistance'. It's nothing to write home about. They cannot even read Trouble Codes off the cars. OnStar set a pretty high bar in this arena that nobody has caught up with yet.

My "Traction Battery Fault" warning said "Drive With Caution" unlike yours. It apparently was a software glitch, no symptoms, and went away when fully charged.
 
#16 ·
I had a similar problem after having the car for about 2 weeks. I got a system error message saying traction battery fault detected, performance reduced. Things got back to normal in a few hours and I haven't had any issues since then. I have not noted any performance difference. One difference I have noted is the degree of regenerative braking. It maybe a subjective feeling but I have noted that the amount of regenerative braking has decreased. Maybe it is just because I have gotten more accustomed to the feature over time I have owned this car.
 
#17 ·
From my memory I believe this incident did occur while I was on a city street and the car was slowing down under regen.

I did have regen braking set to high, which I changed from where it was set to low at the dealer. It's possible this unit had never been driven under that setting given the low mileage.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Regarding warnings, there actually were a slew of others besides the one in the photo, including 'reduced performance' and 'drive with caution.'

The most odd one was this error which came up after the car had stopped when I attempted to put the car in P. 'Speed too high for Park' very confused electronics.
 

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#23 ·
Yes. Strange as it may seem, as I only had 370 miles -- yours was "sooner"?!! They absolutely should just find you a new one. In my case, they gave me choices of other cars that they had coming where the original orderer had cancelled. I actually accepted an HSE that was actually in a color I preferred (blue vs. the photon red). It had a couple less whistles (but pretty much all of the bells I wanted!), and got back $2700.

Now, that said - I've only had it for 2 days, and have 111 miles on it, so ... fingers crossed that lightning will fail to strike twice!! Good luck!
 
#26 ·
The saga continues... Jaguar not covering themselves in glory here on what should be a non-brainer.

No update on service. JLR NA is processing an application to have the car repurchased. They have to consult with their Consumer Affairs division to see if this circumstance qualifies. However, they just blew their deadline to get back to me on that.
 
#27 ·
I blame it more on the dealer vs. JLR. Without knowing wattajag’s exact circumstance, it certainly seems as if his dealer was Johnny on the spot negating his purchase and getting him a new car. It would seem as if they took all the liability upfront and can only assume they then worked it out with JLR, dealer to manufacturer. Your dealer should do the same. You should be insulated from that process and be given a new car ASAP...

If my guess is right about the dealer not owning the process, I would suggest you wash your hands of this dealer and go down the road to the next available...
 
#29 ·
That's exactly what they should do. They shouldn't make the customer 'suffer' while they work out the details with corporate. Like yours did for you, SipherHex's dealer should have accepted the burden of a broken car and got him a new one ASAP, especially since there are at least a half-dozen, exactly the same, within a few hundred miles. I think it is shameful they have drug their feet on this, especially in light of the fact there was less than 50 miles on the car went it imploded!
 
#30 ·
The latest update. On Tuesday the dealer called and said they are now going to try to fix the issue by replacing the front EPIC (DC-AC motor inverter controller) and regenerative braking system. Parts coming in next day.

Here we are on Friday and they did the repair, but... it did not resolve the issue. So now are offering to start working on replacing the vehicle. No ETA for that yet. TBD.

Gotta say, folks in SF Bay Area take note of the timeline here and take into consideration where you shop. yeesh.

PS Dealer service contact said the rear wheels locking up is actually heavy braking on them which is a safety feature of the car any time the front motor is 'free wheeling' and the steering is deflected. Is apparently intended to keep from having damaging mechanical stress on front suspension components. Interesting concept.
 
#31 ·
Terrible. Nothing is worse than 'guessing' or 'throwing parts at it'. There is a problem in their diagnostic system from the planning all the way to the end, the executive in charge of that probably is not suited for the job. With over 6000 cars on the road, and a year of testing 200 cars, it is highly unlikely your issue is unique or new.

Rear braking deliberate? That is a very bizarre thing for a car tech to say. A point to consider is what happens on a slippery road when you pull the parking brake on a car with the wheels turned. That's is how you loop a car. There is seldom a situation where adding rear braking without any front braking is desirable or optimal. It is sometimes the simplest method of holding a car in place or reducing it's speed, but is never the best.
 
#36 ·
Yeah I have to put up with a know-nothing typical car sales guy who doesn't even want to use email (text only please) at Livermore. At least he calls me with updates. But getting a software version number out of him? Not so easy:

Me: "Can you please send me the software versions? I've sent you screenshots, they're 15.2 and S18D."
Him: "My service guy, great guy, he tells me you don't need to worry, you have the latest installed!"
Me: "Can you please find out the version numbers? I've sent you screenshots."
Him: "I'm telling you it's all going to be fine, you'll be so happy."
Me: "It can't be hard for you or the service guy to go into the menu and write down the version numbers."
Him: "Ok let me try bye"
[Second time he hung up on me]
 
#37 ·
Car is unfixable. Dealer has a car on the lot, but has run out the time from Jaguar NA to do a dealer facilitated trade.

Now Jaguar NA needs to repurchase the vehicle. They need to contact their consumer affairs department to being the expected 2 week (!!) process.

None of this would have happened if the dealership had just traded the car at the first sign of trouble.

Livermore is the same dealer ownership as Jaguar Steven's Creek.

Avoid!
 
#41 ·
If the dealer was even halfway decent they would just assume the ownership risk from you and work it out with JLR NA. I cannot comprehend how they didn’t do that within days. A car that has a massive failure essentially leaving the lot from purchase should have been an obvious buy back. There are plenty of Photon Red FEs on the lot within driving distance of you. They should be able to give you one with out further delays
 
#38 ·
Unfortunately I have to say the Jaguar NA customer service department has been beyond awful to deal with as well.

They've never contacted me back, I've always had to call them, and there is no path the service reps have to escalate. Best they can do is request someone call you back within 48 hours (which they don't do).

If the communication the dealership has with Jaguar NA is anything like what I'm dealing with, it's amazing they can stay in business.

It's sad how such amazing engineering as the I-Pace is going to get hamstrung by simple consumer business basics.
 
#39 ·
Danm, so sorry to hear that! What a hassle. Yes I'm not impressed with the customer non-service. Didn't realize Livermore and Steven's Creek were the same owner. I first went to SC because they're closer to me but when I emailed the sales guy that I'm ready to order he didn't respond. So I went to Livermore. Bah.
 
#43 ·
Different dealerships in the same auto group will have different managers, different staff, and different levels of service. I've been happy with my Livermore experience.
 
#48 ·
Cold tires take more energy to roll. Cold air takes more HP to push through. Cold air requires more energy to keep the battery at optimum temp (80°F?), AC takes less power than heating.
EVs normally see their best mileage in the high 70's on clear days at high altitude on used tires.
 
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