A Tesla owner who drove their vehicle without issue to Walmart was left stumped after their vehicle became a parking lot paperweight.
Marcus Holloway (@marcusduane21) says he was left stumped after his Tesla wouldn’t boot up, as he documents his confusion while walking around the car in a trending TikTok. Numerous commenters speculated as to what his problem could’ve been in a clip that garnered 401,000 views.
Tesla disabled
“Cons to owning a Tesla,” a text overlay in the video reads. A man records his blue electric vehicle from the popular brand as it sits in a Walmart parking lot.
@marcusduane21 Welp found out the 12v battery went out without giving me any notices! Anyone else have this problem? #fyp #viral ♬ Survivor’s Remorse – Roddy Ricch
“I’m leaving out Walmart. Luckily my BMW out here, too. I’m leaving Walmart. It’s sprinkling rain…I come outside to get in the Tesla. This literally disabled for no reason.”
The man tries to open the trunk of the car as he walks around the car. “Can’t get in. I can’t open no doors,” he says as he tries to crack open the rear passenger door. “I’m talking about, I can’t use the app. I can’t do nothing. The car won’t let me do nothing. I don’t know if this a part of the reception that the world going through. The internet…I don’t know what it is.
Holloway then issues a warning: “Just know if you own a Tesla, this is some of the things you’re gonna have to deal with.”
He walks around the car and records it some more as rain continues to fall lightly around him on onto the vehicle. The TikToker surmises, again, that the problem may have to do with his phone’s internet connection. He speculates that a potential issue with the car’s mobile connection is preventing the Tesla app from communicating with the car.
Holloway sounds stunned as he reflects on the current state of his vehicle. “Car literally is disabled…disabled. Can’t do nothing,” he says at the end of the clip.
12 volt battery
In a caption for the video, Holloway writes that the issue is something that I, as a former Tesla Model 3 owner, am familiar with. He said, “Welp found out the 12v battery went out without giving me any notices! Anyone else have this problem?”
Although Teslas use massive EV batteries to power the car, a lot of the vehicle’s ancillary functions are powered by a 12-volt battery. This includes the motors that power its doors and automatic windows. However, it’s not like this battery is easy to access, depending on the type of Tesla you have, that is.
After getting that 12-volt battery swapped out, it seems that Holloway’s car was functioning as normal and he was able to drive off without any issues.
However, other Tesla drivers say they were left stranded with their vehicles for different reasons. Like this woman who recorded herself stuck inside of her car during a software update.
What made matters worse, she says, was that the car’s glass roof created a greenhouse effect. This rendered her Tesla a hotbox with no air conditioning function and a software update that took longer than it originally said.
Holloway’s follow-up
In a supplemental clip, Holloway clarified for folks who questioned his mention of having a BMW SUV in the parking lot next to his Tesla.
“How did you have two cars at Walmart?” he asks rhetorically, imitating viewers. “Me and my girl went and washed the BMW and the Tesla. We was like, ‘Man let’s get some dinner.’ So, I don’t like her being at Walmart by herself with the kids. Due to like all the sex human trafficking and that stuff.”
In his video, he shows off the BMW SUV in question, replying back to folks’ who thought he was lying about bringing two cars to a Walmart parking lot.
@marcusduane21 Replying to @Sbtf ♬ original sound – Marcus Holloway
Holloway adds, “So I’m just like, we’re gonna go together. We’re in Walmart it starts pouring out raining. So I’m like, I’ll grab the Tesla and bring it up front for her and the kids. When I tried to get in the Tesla, [it] wouldn’t let me do nothing. It wouldn’t let me do absolutely nothing. So that is why you see the Tesla video and my BMW video.”
He went on to clarify, “I didn’t just randomly have two cars in the parking lot.”
One TikToker said that they weren’t pressed to hear him make the two car comment. “Me and my husband, always meet like after work, or take 2 cars to fill up, so it was normal to me,” they wrote.
However, others were appreciative of his clarification. “OKAY OKAY Now that’s make sense…swear I was confused about two cars at the same time lol,” one user said.
Someone else asked the TikToker what they thought about owning an electric vehicle: “How is EV life though? I’m interested in a second vehicle being electric.”
Holloway, despite the issue, said that he’s a fan of his Tesla. “I love it,” he stated.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Tesla via email and Holloway via TikTok comment for further information.
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