Photo: Tesla
Larry Campbell bought his Model S in September 2016. After his wife tried to pick up their kids at school on October 8, 2021, the car simply stopped working. Tesla then told Campbell he would have to spend HK$171,000 ($21,956 at the current exchange rate) to replace the battery pack, which is still under warranty. The reason was that the “car was flooded.” The issue is that it never was.
Campbell told the South China Morning Post that neither he nor his wife ever drove the car through flooded areas. When the vehicle failed, heavy rains were hitting Hong Kong, but none of the places in which Campbell’s wife went were flooded. He believes that Tesla is simply trying to dodge responsibility for a battery pack defect it would otherwise have to replace for free.
Campbell asked the Tesla Service Center to present him the investigation report. He wanted to understand how a sealed battery pack could be full of water by just facing heavy afternoon rain. The South China Morning Post asked the help of an experienced mechanical engineer to understand the issue. Lo Kok-keung said the battery case could have been damaged. If that were true, Tesla would have shown Campbell the report and the damage. The company refused to let him see the investigation report.
That led the Tesla customer to assume Tesla just wanted to avoid replacing his battery pack. After complaining for three months about the repair bill, the EV maker said it would charge only HK$91,000 ($11,684) out of “goodwill.” If Campbell were really to blame, it makes no sense that Tesla cut the price by almost half. If the battery pack presented damages, the EV maker should just have shown them to the customer to justify voiding the warranty and charging him to replace it.
Tesla limited its defense to sending Campbell two pictures of the battery pack by email, stating that it found “substantial volumes of water” there. The EV maker told him there were no similar cases in other countries. It may be the case that we just have not heard about them.
Campbell knows that the battery was full of water. What the Tesla client wants to know is how a sealed battery pack can be flooded. Had Tesla presented him the damages right from the beginning, he would not have been wondering about what went wrong. The company just accused him of driving in flooded areas, which he denies.
If you have ever heard about similar cases, let us know about them. Perhaps Model S battery packs had sealing issues at some point. Without knowing about them, other customers may have been charged for them just like Campbell, even when their battery packs were still under warranty. This Hong Kong case may sure be an isolated one. However, in our experience, they never are.
Campbell asked the Tesla Service Center to present him the investigation report. He wanted to understand how a sealed battery pack could be full of water by just facing heavy afternoon rain. The South China Morning Post asked the help of an experienced mechanical engineer to understand the issue. Lo Kok-keung said the battery case could have been damaged. If that were true, Tesla would have shown Campbell the report and the damage. The company refused to let him see the investigation report.
That led the Tesla customer to assume Tesla just wanted to avoid replacing his battery pack. After complaining for three months about the repair bill, the EV maker said it would charge only HK$91,000 ($11,684) out of “goodwill.” If Campbell were really to blame, it makes no sense that Tesla cut the price by almost half. If the battery pack presented damages, the EV maker should just have shown them to the customer to justify voiding the warranty and charging him to replace it.
Tesla limited its defense to sending Campbell two pictures of the battery pack by email, stating that it found “substantial volumes of water” there. The EV maker told him there were no similar cases in other countries. It may be the case that we just have not heard about them.
Campbell knows that the battery was full of water. What the Tesla client wants to know is how a sealed battery pack can be flooded. Had Tesla presented him the damages right from the beginning, he would not have been wondering about what went wrong. The company just accused him of driving in flooded areas, which he denies.
If you have ever heard about similar cases, let us know about them. Perhaps Model S battery packs had sealing issues at some point. Without knowing about them, other customers may have been charged for them just like Campbell, even when their battery packs were still under warranty. This Hong Kong case may sure be an isolated one. However, in our experience, they never are.
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