Tesla has issued a recall for its Powerwall 2 battery units sold between November 2020 and June 2022 over a potential risk of battery fire.
When it comes to Tesla, we are used to seeing vehicle recalls, but now we learn of a recall of Powerwall 2, the company’s popular home battery pack.
Tesla has received several reports of battery cells failing in Powerwall 2 units, leading to some fires.
The company wrote in a recall notice in Australia:
Tesla has identified certain lithium-ion battery cells from a third-party supplier in a subset of Powerwall 2 systems that may fail and overheat. Tesla has received reports of Powerwall 2 units with the affected battery cells smoking or emitting flames, resulting in minor property damage.
Tesla states that Powerwall 2 battery units sold between November 2020 and June 2022 are subject to the recall.
The company is already remotely discharging the Powerwalls affected to reduce the risk:
Most affected units have already been remotely discharged by Tesla. While the risk of overheating is now very low, if it does occur, it may lead to a fire that could cause serious injury, death or damage to property. A few incidents have occurred and caused damage to property. No injuries have been reported.
Powerwall owners should check their Tesla app to see whether their unit is affected. If so, the Powerwall should likely already be discharged.
Tesla says that it will replace their Powerwalls affected with new ones at no cost to the customers. It is also considering compensating people for revenue lost or higher utility bills due to the Powerwalls being down for an extended period of time, but it hasn’t confirmed anything yet.
The company has yet to issue a recall notice outside of Australia, but Tesla produces all its Powerwalls in Nevada in the US.
It’s unclear whether the issue only affected Powerwalls sent to Australia or if the recall will need to be expanded.
The recall notice does mention that the product was sold internationally and not just in Australia.
Electrek’s Take
I know that Tesla has adapted the Powerwall for different markets so it’s possible that the recall is specifically for Australia, but it doesn’t make much sense if the problem is really the battery cell.
If the Powerwall affected units were those made between November 2020 and June 2022, then those battery cells likely went into Powerwall 2 units that were shipped to other markets.
My own Powerwalls were produced during that period, and I haven’t received any notice yet, but I live in an incredibly underserved market for Tesla Energy. My Powerwall installers came from a province over.
I’ll be keeping an eye on this.
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