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1-Million-Mile Tesla Owner Tweets He Was Affected by Rear Motor Failures

Hansjörg Eberhard von Gemmingen became famous for driving his Model S P85+ for more than one million miles and replacing many components along the way. After we wrote that the Model Y Performance is having issues at Giga Grünheide with the rear motors, he connected the dots for us and tweeted that his multiple drive unit (DU) replacements must have something to do with the issue.
Hansjörg Eberhard von Gemmingen states his multiple rear motor replacements may be related to rear motor defect with the Model Y 13 photos
Photo: Munro Live/Hansjörg Eberhard von Gemmingen/edited by autoevolution
Tesla Model 3 rear motor inverter has a massive recall in China that explains a lotTesla Model Y electric crossoverTesla Model Y electric crossoverTesla Model Y electric crossoverTesla Model Y electric crossoverTesla Model Y electric crossoverTesla Model Y electric crossoverTesla Model Y electric crossoverTesla Model Y electric crossoverTesla Model Y electric crossoverTesla Model Y may have serious issues with its rear motorsHansjörg Eberhard von Gemmingen states his multiple rear motor replacements may be related to rear motor defect with the Model Y
On June 27, Von Gemmingen wrote about that in German (the tweet is below) and here's the translation:

“Well, I also have the ‘Performance problem.’ I have used six motors since reaching one million kilometers in November 2019. Tesla refuses to install normal DUs for me – so young and already an ossified corporation.”

A while before we wrote about his new one-million-mile record on June 17, 2022, Von Gemmingen complained about a broken rear motor after having made eight replacements already. That led us to think he already put nine different drive units in his Model S. More recently, he said he had replaced these components eight times, which may mean he did not count the original one. Eight or nine times, that’s way more than reasonable.

What we did not think about was that all these component changes had to do with the same problem that affects the Model 3 and the Model Y. In April, ConsumerAffairs said the Model Y was experiencing a high rate of rear motor failures. One day after that, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) recalled 127,785 Model 3 units due to a rear motor inverter defect. The recent issue making Tesla postpone deliveries of the Model Y built in Germany is also related to the inverter.

The Model S and the Model X have different motors than those used by the Model Y and Model 3. However, they may share components such as the inverter. Before the Model 3 was presented, the Model S and Model X only had induction motors. After the mass-production electric sedan arrived, they got a permanent magnet synchronous reluctance motor (PMSRM) on the front axle.

We have no idea if it is the same one used by the Model 3, and Tesla does not have a press department we could ask about that. We’ll have to contact our sources to clarify our doubts. Anyway, if the Model S and X share motors with their cheaper siblings, it is only the front ones, not the rear ones that are now failing. The explanation for a possible connection – if there is any – lies somewhere else.

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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
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Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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