Tesla Now Sends 12V Battery Replacement Alerts

Tesla has started rolling out alerts to notify customers when their 12V battery needs to be replaced.

That’s according to a push notification shared by Zack (@BLKMDL3). The message received reads, “12V battery must be replaced soon – schedule service.”

This is new! @Tesla now sending push notifications when 12V battery needs to be replaced! Really smart, hope they add push notifications when you have low tire pressure or other important alerts @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/BO35pJMI5J

— Zack (@BLKMDL3) September 11, 2022

The 12V battery in Tesla vehicles powers electronics such as lights, stereo, windows and more, and without it—your car won’t start. In the past, alerts to replace the 12V battery would usually show up within the vehicle, but usually at the last minute.

A DC-to-DC converter recharges the 12V battery from the main Tesla battery. The purpose of the 12V battery is to power electronics if your main battery runs out of juice or is disconnected due to an event. 12V batteries don’t last forever and can only be recharged a finite number of times, before they need to be replaced.

This new mobile app alert message makes it easier to keep track of as it’s an explicit reminder to schedule service soon. It’s better than what some owners have experienced in the past, arriving at a dead 12V battery without warning. This is why some owners change their 12V batteries every year, or on a 24-month basis to prevent showing up to a vehicle with a dead or drained 12V battery.

Newer Tesla vehicles have a new 12V lithium-ion battery instead of a traditional lead acid battery, offering more reliability and longer life.