Allant Battery Issue

[GuruUno]

Remember a few weeks ago, here, where (?), I had referenced or heard that there were some issues with an "L" bracket that has something to do with the battery....?
Well, today, while on a run, and going over a large BUMP, my battery went flying!!
I stopped, picked it up, slapped it back in, pounded it with my fist to be assured it was seated, and here are the pictures.
Not sure if this is to be a design flaw, lemon issue or end user problem, but an issue nonetheless.
LBS has been notified.
I am pissed!

 

[GuruUno]

OK, I notified my LBS, his day off....he got back to me, told me to bring the bike in so they could look/see and investigate.
They gave me a new replacement battery. Kudos to them for swift resolve.
As a side note, the damaged "cover" is a replaceable item, it has screws to pull it off; I'll post photos soon. (they don't have any of them, but I was made aware of the ability to pull it off with removal of the retaining screws)
On to the good stuff.
The Bosch Certified Tech at the LBS spent about an hour. He was able to replicate the battery, old and new to fall out of the 'cradle' . We did it about 6 times. After inserting the battery, locking the key and removing it with the battery seated, you could pull it out.
Seems like the internal adjustment, much like a door latch, was not fully returning to full extension after being stopped from retracting, even after the key was locked and removed.
Very, very much like adjusting a door knob and striker latch.
So, he pulled it out, it had about 1/4" (if that) of additional movement/adjustment, which he slid to its limit, reinstalled it, and the battery latches and remains perfectly mounted without any fear of falling out after it is re-secured and the key is removed.
Again, I'll try to upload photos tomorrow.
So, one might wonder, who was asleep at the wheel in R&D, who is the overseeing person/department that runs quality control, adjustments, etc.?
Point being, it's a slam dunk no brainer for any company manufacturing any product to investigate all aspects of fit, trim, performance, etc.
I just hope moving forward that I'm not the beta tester along with some other 'early adopters' for any future 'discovered' flaws.
Some might say, "Hey, it's only a bike! What do you expect"?, to which I say....everything, especially for $6,000
Don't get me wrong, nice bike, lots to love, but hey, come on, really?

 

[Ebiker01]

1st thing - is Very good that they had the Whole Battery changed. I hope they took it somewhere far and fixed it or recycle it. If they replaced the Cover and decide to sell it later on , that’s a big problem.

From that impact if a wire is loose or other issue, somewhere something may happen later on. You won’t know unless you open the whole battery and inspect everything including X-ray the cells for rupture of the film cover. That can cause a short.



2nd - the Key mechanism:

That is a bit more different then a door latch.

The key Internal mechanism For each and Every single ebike is UNIQUE , I don’t mean the key or the internal lock as in lock picking.

That mechanism is secured by a plate which has a few screws and depending on how tight the plate is secured or how good of a position for each screw you get when mounting that plate , the mechanism can move a few mm.
If the keyhole is moving 2-3mm that affects the pin that hold the battery and will slide out eventually depending on the stress input grade.
30mph jumping a pothole is a good test that apparently the Trek engineers failed to do.

And the reason is different for each ebike is b/c this are manually done/set (maybe a mechanic had an off day) unlike in a car where everything is much more precisely torqued and positioned by robots.
On a door latch is actually more precise b/c is much more simpler -a much small precise area to set the latch, no huge external stress factors.

For top cars a 1-2mm gap variations in panels /covers is a great achievement. For ebikes I do not know what standards they have. But is definitely done manual what I Was referring to earlier. But a 2-3mm gap around the battery secure points/locking mechanism is very dangerous.

Ps- I don’t advocate cars just giving an example.

 

[tomjasz]

Stuff happens. Stay on Trek corporate directly. I’m sorry for the hassle, but I’m confident Trek will resolve. IME they always do. That being said. If it’s a known issue I’d help the situation and add s secure strap holding the battery in place. Making it safe to ride while sorting a solution.

 

[GuruUno]

Exactly, I suggested rubber bands until a TSB/final fix is deployed. The joys of early adopters.

 

[vincent]

believe this is a problem with that bike because I was in a bike shop in Tucson a couple of weeks ago that carriies trek

they had one of those in there and he told me the battery had fallen out and they were waiting on a replacement

they could not figure out why it was not locking the battery in correctly so people with this bike need to be aware of that, hopefully they will get it figured out soon

sorry to hear of your problems

 

[tomjasz]

Exactly, I suggested rubber bands until a TSB/final fix is deployed. The joys of early adopters.

Zip ties, DIY manna from heaven.

 

[Rob NJ]

Geez, you might expect that from country with shoddy workmanship. These are assembled in Germany! That is what mine is tagged with. Checked mine, seems super tight, but will keep an eye it. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[barrybenisch]

Me Too!
Battery popped out during A normal ride....awaiting explanation and resolution......clearly an engineering screw up.....it could be worse....at least it’s not the 737 Max!

 

[GuruUno]

Although Trek made good on my replacement battery and readjusted the mechanism to resolve the same exact problem I had, as well as a previous bike that they made good on an ongoing defective motor or (?) problem, that does NOT excuse them from the obvious lack of quality control design, engineering and all of the things that go into any product development. If Trek is a "leader", and all 'other' bike manufactures offer similar products, and if Trek is supposed to be one of the better quality bikes, what does that say about all the other stuff out there? Are we truly the beta testers, and like much of the way the world works today, most companies are more interested in marketing and just oil the squeaky wheels later. Glad I'm getting old. Making the right choice is what personal decisions are about for anything. Trek, this is a wake up call. Get your sh#% together.

 

[Over50]

Me Too!
Battery popped out during A normal ride....awaiting explanation and resolution......clearly an engineering screw up.....it could be worse....at least it’s not the 737 Max!

A question to the folks with the flying batteries: to insert/seat your battery, do you have to have the key in and lock open? My older PowerPacks would all pop into place without the key in the lock - it just required a firm push and would return a positive click to signal engagement of the lock. My LBS told me for that Powertube design, or perhaps for the Allant's Powertube specifically, I needed to have the key in to open the lock, insert the battery and then turn key to lock - there is no click to signify engagement of the mechanism. This is why it is a 2-handed operation for me (insert battery with one hand and turn key/open lock with the other). Just wanted to check with others to see if they were instructed similarly or if they are able to push and pop their Powertube into place similar to the old Powerpacks (this is my first bike/experience with the Powertube design). I am not able to push my Powertube battery into place without having the key in the lock and the mechanism open.

But notes to self on the issue:
Talk with LBS and ask them to talk w Trek to find out if there is any awareness at corporate
Always check and double-check the lock and seating of my battery
Get a couple of my velcro-closure zip-tie/straps as backup until we hear if this is a wider problem

 

[barrybenisch]

I was not told to unlock prior to seating the battery...just pop it into place!
Perhaps that’s not the case.....

 

[Over50]

I was not told to unlock prior to seating the battery...just pop it into place!
Perhaps that’s not the case.....

Good to know. There could be something going on here because I cannot push mine into place without having the key in and the lock open. I haven't tried to force it but rather just applying a normal amount of pressure, the battery will not click into place. My LBS specifically told me to seat the battery and then turn the key into the lock position. I was kinda surprised with this given my experience with the Powerpacks.

 

[Solom01]

Robnj...a country with shoddy workmanship? You mean the country that lied about their diesel emissions thus hurting everyone? Or check out the fine German reliability of VW, Mercedes, Audi or BMW compared to much less expensive Japanese or Korean cars in consumer's report. Fine German engineering is basically Kool Aid when you start comparing their products to the better made Asian units.

 

[GuruUno]

Fact: Deficiencies exist that have been discovered and need to be resolved by Trek, not by community forums.
Although appreciative and thankful that these informative venues exist, it's mind blowing that we need to educate Trek.
Get it?

 

[Rob NJ]

Robnj...a country with shoddy workmanship? You mean the country that lied about their diesel emissions thus hurting everyone? Or check out the fine German reliability of VW, Mercedes, Audi or BMW compared to much less expensive Japanese or Korean cars in consumer's report. Fine German engineering is basically Kool Aid when you start comparing their products to the better made Asian units.

Great Point!

 

[Solom01]

Thanks, I didn't mean to sound so strident, just that in today's world the country of origin is meaningless, you can get good stuff or bad stuff from just about anywhere. One exception, when it comes to coffee Italy pretty much rules.

 

[tomjasz]

Great Point!

I almost find this funny, if it weren't for your inconvenience. But it happens to the best of makers. In the end it's how the builder resolves the issues. Nearly every brand has had at least one stinker. Maybe those of us that came up building bikes are a bit more sympatico, understanding a design can be near perfect but one action by a consumer can bugger the outcome. In this case, if it's how the battery is inserted, surely we'd hope engineers would anticipate, but if the solution is unlocking before placing I'd see the action of being unlocked first as logical. We expect makers to goof-proof. And then there the buyers that stuck their keys into the charge port. You just can't fix that some users aren't adept at mechanical concepts.

 

[barrybenisch]

"You just can't fix that some users aren't adept at mechanical concepts. "
Really!!!!

Conversation at LBS:
Barry: "How do I remove and replace the battery?"
LBS: "Easy, Use the key to unlock it and to replace it just pop it into place....like this"
Barry: "Let me try it....OK, that's simple....Thanks"

Where exactly does my lack of mechanical adeptness apply?

 

[tomjasz]

Where exactly does my lack of mechanical adeptness apply?

I didn't quote you or intend to imply anything about your experience. Just a general comment. I have seen it all. The guy that stuck his key in the charge port considered himself adept. (I've had two incidents and read of several more)
But PLEASE, do not take this as any sort of personal affront.
In reading this thread and others regarding this battery issue, I noticed that some users remarked that the battery stayed in place if the lock was disengaged before replacing the battery. I can only report on what I've read. And I could be completely off base. But IMNSHE I've seen designs that required a step in the process that was left to what makers assumed was logical but end users didn't find it so.

I was not told to unlock prior to seating the battery...just pop it into place!
Perhaps that’s not the case.....

You implied that unlocking prior to seating could be a solution? Was it?

I needed to have the key in to open the lock, insert the battery and then turn key to lock - there is no click to signify engagement of the mechanism. This is why it is a 2-handed operation for me (insert battery with one hand and turn key/open lock with the other).

This response from the fellas' dealer is what I would have expected to do. IME latching mechanisms and their associated parts are often unobtanium for many battery packs. I would have always unlocked and inserted and tested the firmness.
But, again, only because any failures on my bikes are my fault.

Is there a technique that solves the problem?