NHTSA complaint #11564207

Owner complaint summary

There is obviously a design flaw in the fan cooling system for the main high voltage 93.4 kw battery. The cooling vents allow small gravel to enter the intake ports powered by fans to cool the battery. (this is a major issue for areas of the country where gravel is used for winter road maintenance. This issues arises every snow season) Gravel gets into the ports and can possibly jamb the fan propeller blades thus not being able to cool the battery properly. I have a work order at the dealership to clean out the cooling ducts. when the gravel enters these ducts they make a grinding sound when the fans engage. The dealership reported this to the manufacturer, and the response from the manufacturer was it is not their issue. The service dealership said additional screening over the intake ports can not be done because information from the manufacturer states this would impede the necessary airflow to cool the batteries. To further bring attention to this design issue, the high voltage 93.4 kw battery failed, July 19, 2023 at 17,551 miles.