Australia’s consumer watchdog has warned thousands of households to check their Tesla battery energy storage systems with a nationwide recall in place after reports of the manufacturer’s Powerwall 2 units catching fire and damaging homes.
United States-based energy storage and electric vehicle manufacturing giant Tesla has issued a product recall for its Powerwall 2 battery energy storage systems in Australia after receiving reports of units catching fire.
Tesla said it has identified a safety concern with a batch of lithium-ion battery cells sourced from a third-party supplier following reports of “Powerwall 2 units with the affected battery cells smoking or emitting flames, resulting in minor property damage,” adding that the systems “may fail and overheat.”
In a statement, Tesla said nearly all affected units in Australia have already been discharged remotely, rendering them safe.
“Once your Powerwall 2 unit has been discharged and isolated from service, the unit does not pose any operational risk,” Tesla said, adding that “the remaining units are being discharged by Tesla service teams.”
The company said that the issue is limited to a specific group of Powerwall 2 customers and does not affect Powerwall 3 units.
A recall notice published by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says the affected Powerwall 2 units were sold between November 2020 and June 2022, and distributed across Australia by Tesla Motors Australia Pty Ltd.
Tesla said affected customers are being notified through the Tesla app and every affected Powerwall 2 unit will be removed and replaced under warranty and at no cost to customers. It is also considering compensation for any lost energy savings from discharged Powerwall 2 systems on a case-by-case basis.
The manufacturer said it is prioritising affected customers and will coordinate directly with them and their original installers to schedule removal of the existing unit and installation of a new system.
For more detail, refer to the Tesla App, email the company directly at PWNoticeANZ@tesla.com or call 1800 958 369.
