Electrical system failure: Stop!

[JoulesThief]

This same problem just happened to me at almost 2am after seeing a movie. I was less than one mile from home. It occurred near an intersection while slowing down. It shuddered briefly, the main drive cut off, and the instrument panel lit up like Christmas. Had the same Electrical/Stop message. I was able to pull off to the side, but I had to push it into a parking lot. Very very dangerous. So it got towed to VW, which was less than 1 mile away, and I'm waiting to hear what they will do.

Please advise us on the dealership and the part they replaced.

Also can you check on the drivers side lower door pillar on the black label down there and determine the month and year of build of your e-Golf, and also number of miles on it when it failed.

Also report it to NHTSA by filling out an online form, here, under ELECTRIC Golf, and follow up to make sure they got it in the correct category, not with the ICE Golfs. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/

 

[semaldona]

The VW service center told me that many fault codes were present in the system. One of which said that the driver pressed the Start/Stop button while moving. They said this has happened to several other eGolf owners. Now, I most certainly did not press this button while in motion. I've had the car for 6 months and have put 2800 miles on it as a daily commuter. The manufacture date is 1/15.

They reset the computer systems, test drove it, and said it was now operating normally. They did not replace any parts and there was no charge. However, the VW service center made me feel as though the incident was my fault. Not only that, they said the tow truck used was supposed to be a flatbed, but it was not. Consequently, it generated other fault codes in the system. I used VW 24-Hour Roadside Assistance. Why would that be my fault?

This is the scariest part for me. The 2015 VW eGolf manual, page 213, states that the following only work when the electric motor is active:
Brake and steering assistance systems
The airbag system
Safety belt pretensioners
And other vehicle safety features

As far as the Start/Stop button is concerned:
Why would VW even allow a driver to power off the motor while it is engaged in Drive and moving?
If it is allowed, why would doing this render the electric motor completely unable to restart?
Why is the Eco mode button, which is meant to be pressed while driving, less than 1 inch away from the Start/Stop button?

 

[bizzle]

I don't know the answers to the rest of your questions but I will say that I don't think the mode button is intended to be pressed while driving. In fact, when you're above the speed limit of a given mode it won't even activate until you drop below the mode's speed if you switch to it.

 

[semaldona]

I don't know the answers to the rest of your questions but I will say that I don't think the mode button is intended to be pressed while driving. In fact, when you're above the speed limit of a given mode it won't even activate until you drop below the mode's speed if you switch to it.

Good point. The User Manual states that you shouldn't change the mode while driving, but only because it can be a driving distraction. Same as operating the infotainment and nav systems.

 

[sfsoundguy]

UPDATE: So far so good Car driving normally and it seems fine.

They replaced the JX1 ( 12E-998-152-A REPAIR KIT & 5QE-907-070-D ELECTRONIC) however when they did the replacement the computer locked up so they "lost" any faults in the log.

The did a Reboot and got code U11200. They updated the software of the C5 module and did a 10 mile road test and re scanned the car all good no faults found.

Car has 1,399 miles on it.

 

[JoulesThief]

UPDATE: So far so good Car driving normally and it seems fine.

They replaced the JX1 ( 12E-998-152-A REPAIR KIT & 5QE-907-070-D ELECTRONIC) however when they did the replacement the computer locked up so they "lost" any faults in the log.

The did a Reboot and got code U11200. They updated the software of the C5 module and did a 10 mile road test and re scanned the car all good no faults found.

Car has 1,399 miles on it.

Thank you for the full update, SF. I've a feeling this problem is behind you for good. Be prepared, while driving, don't take anything for granted, have a backup plan, and I wish you many miles of trouble free motoring. Your post, hopefully, spreads good karma to all VW techs that may have to solve a similar problem with an e-Golf with the same symptoms.

Your post is telling... generally when VW issues a "repair kit" part number, it's a bunch of parts needed for something that has been a common enough failure to kit all the parts together, instead of ordering them one by one, and missing replacing a few critical parts because they forgot to order them or didn't know they needed to be R&R'd also.

 

[RonDawg]

Ironically just a day after I turned in my ultra-reliable Nissan Leaf back to Nissan, I experienced something similar to this. I was pulling out of my garage and noticed packages at the front door that were left by UPS. I wasn't going to be home for several hours so I got out of the car, grabbed the packages, and put them in the garage before closing it.

Despite my leaving the key in the car and having the door open, the car went into that annoying auto-shutdown mode. So I turned it on again, reversed further, and exited the driveway. As as I pulled forward on the street, the accelerator pedal just went dead and the car coasted to a stop. However there were no warnings on the dash, and the radio kept playing. It was like I put the car in Neutral.

Fortunately I live on a relatively quiet residential street and there were no other cars nearby. I simply popped it into Neutral, pressed the brake, and turned the car off and back on again. No further issues for the rest of the drive, and didn't repeat itself when I drove the car again after it was parked for about an hour.

FWIW I got the car back in July but it only has 2100 miles on it since I continued to use the Leaf as the daily driver. Hopefully it is an isolated incident.

 

[RichV]

Our 2016 e-Golf SE began having this message from day 1 of delivery with 35 miles; albeit, with a slightly different set of parameters.

After a few days of testing I determined that any time it was hooked up to a L2 charger it would result in the Electrical System Failure warning when "starting up". A quick cycle of the ignition was all it took to make it go away. It drives normally but I am unable to charge it with an L2 charger which makes the car useless to me as a L1 charger is too slow.

Dropped it off at the dealer this afternoon and hope to hear from them tomorrow.

 

[SDegolf]

Has this happened to anyone with an SE?

Can someone create a voting poll in this forum?

Remember if this happens to you , immediately put your car in neutral and turn on your hazards and pull over.

 

[bizzle]

Your post is telling... generally when VW issues a "repair kit" part number, it's a bunch of parts needed for something that has been a common enough failure to kit all the parts together, instead of ordering them one by one, and missing replacing a few critical parts because they forgot to order them or didn't know they needed to be R&R'd also.

Don't read too much into it. That is an old repair kit and isn't specific to the eGolf.

 

[Quezno]

This just happened to me and I nearly got t-boned trying to cross traffic. My immediate instinct was to put it in neutral and I was lucky enough to slowly glide to relate safety amid honking horns and abusive yelling. Just glad I didn't get hit and my kids were not in the car.

 

[anna3445]

Michelle:

Thank you for your post. I too hope you will come back soon and give us an update.

I am glad you put your post under this thread (Buying/Leasing), because I was about to lease an e-Golf in the next couple weeks. Now I am going to wait until we hear back from you what VW is doing about this.

I would also suggest you re-post your experience under "Technical Discussions" where both VW and existing owners are more likely to see it. Generally, people read Buying/Leasing when they are shopping for the car, but once purchased they only read other sections of this website.

I also suspect VW personnel reads the "soft wiring Discussions" section much more frequently than "Buying/Leasing".

yes you are right , posting in the right catagory helps more.
I have also gone through the same problem when i posted a thread in the wrong catagory.

 

[RonDawg]

It's been posted on other threads, but several months ago all 2015 eGolfs and some early 2016 models were recalled for this issue: http://www.autoblog.com/2016/03/28/volkswagen-egolf-recall-battery-software/

If you bought your car new or used (through a VW dealer) prior to April 2016, you should have gotten a letter from VW notifying you of the recall. New and used eGolfs still in VW dealer inventories when the recall was announced in March 2016 were held until the cars were repaired.

If you bought your car used from a non-VW dealer or private party, there's a chance the car was not repaired. Enter your VIN through this website to see if anything comes up for open recalls: http://www.vw.com/content/vwcom/en/owners-recalls.html?utm_source=vwserviceandparts.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_term=home_drl&utm_content=recalls&utm_campaign=vws+p

 

[schleppy]

My car (2015 SEL, almost 30,000 miles) just did something similar. I had just unplugged my car from the Chargepoint charger near work. "Electrical system failure: Stop!" appeared as soon as I hit the start button, then something about the 12V battery not charging. The car wouldn't move forward. I powered the car off, sat for a moment, then powered it back on. No errors at all, car drove fine. Bizarre.

I'm hesitant to take it to the dealer unless it happens again. The VW dealers in my area are not great, especially with the e-Golf.

 

[JoulesThief]

My car (2015 SEL, almost 30,000 miles) just did something similar. I had just unplugged my car from the Chargepoint charger near work. "Electrical system failure: Stop!" appeared as soon as I hit the start button, then something about the 12V battery not charging. The car wouldn't move forward. I powered the car off, sat for a moment, then powered it back on. No errors at all, car drove fine. Bizarre.

I'm hesitant to take it to the dealer unless it happens again. The VW dealers in my area are not great, especially with the e-Golf.

This car is computer driven. Sometimes, you will have glitches on booting up that will clear themselves upon reboot. It's nothing yet to worry about. Drive more and worry less.

 

[schleppy]

I ended up calling the dealer to get their take, and they had me bring it in. They said it had a number of codes stored, and kept it overnight (and gave me a loaner). They called me today and said it's all set, it just needed a software update. I find that odd since it was at the dealer recently and I specifically asked if it needed any updates (and checked the NHTSA and VW VIN database), and they said no. I will see what I can find out regarding the update they performed.

This car is computer driven. Sometimes, you will have glitches on booting up that will clear themselves upon reboot. It's nothing yet to worry about. Drive more and worry less.

Agreed. Though in some cases folks aren't able to drive more, because said computer won't allow them to

 

[JoulesThief]

I ended up calling the dealer to get their take, and they had me bring it in. They said it had a number of codes stored, and kept it overnight (and gave me a loaner). They called me today and said it's all set, it just needed a software update. I find that odd since it was at the dealer recently and I specifically asked if it needed any updates (and checked the NHTSA and VW VIN database), and they said no. I will see what I can find out regarding the update they performed.

This car is computer driven. Sometimes, you will have glitches on booting up that will clear themselves upon reboot. It's nothing yet to worry about. Drive more and worry less.

Agreed. Though in some cases folks aren't able to drive more, because said computer won't allow them to

If it's the update I think it is, you might notice a change and that the braking modes were too aggressive originally, and have been modified, so that the battery doesn't receive as aggressive a regeneration recharge on braking. You might notice it takes a fair amount more distance to slow down to a stop than it did in the past, without using the brake pedal. Be aware to look for it and see if you notice it, does it require more brake pedal now to come to a stop, than it did in the past.

 

[schleppy]

If it's the update I think it is, you might notice a change and that the braking modes were too aggressive originally, and have been modified, so that the battery doesn't receive as aggressive a regeneration recharge on braking. You might notice it takes a fair amount more distance to slow down to a stop than it did in the past, without using the brake pedal. Be aware to look for it and see if you notice it, does it require more brake pedal now to come to a stop, than it did in the past.

Man I hope it's not that update, that would be a bummer. But if it helps the car/battery live longer, so be it.

I wish the regen on the e-Golf was as aggressive as the i3. I loved how strong BMW had it set...

 

[schleppy]

Update, and not a good one. Car was driving fine last night and today. Got to work this morning and plugged in, charge wouldn't start. Tried another charger, won't charge. Pulled out the plug and got in the car "car is plugged in" uh oh. Power cycled the car, and was able to drive it back to the dealer with 5 miles of range left. Eeesh.

From the sounds of it, I'm guessing a new charge plug may be in my future. We'll see what they find today...

 

[miimura]

Update, and not a good one. Car was driving fine last night and today. Got to work this morning and plugged in, charge wouldn't start. Tried another charger, won't charge. Pulled out the plug and got in the car "car is plugged in" uh oh. Power cycled the car, and was able to drive it back to the dealer with 5 miles of range left. Eeesh.

From the sounds of it, I'm guessing a new charge plug may be in my future. We'll see what they find today...

I'm rubbing my crystal ball..... and... I see a new JX1 module in your future...