Drive Motor (Stator) Over-Temperature -- Power Temporarily Reduced
The TESLA-DI_W046 (Tesla Drive Inverter / Motor (DI)) EV fault code means: Drive Motor (Stator) Over-Temperature -- Power Temporarily Reduced. This is a moderate severity code.
- Keep driving?
- Short distances only
- DIY difficulty
- moderate
- Estimated cost
- $0 when it is simply heat- or load-related and clears after cooling; a powertrain cooling-system repair (coolant, pump, or radiator) is diagnosed and quoted if the fault recurs under normal driving.
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Common Symptoms
- Reduced power or acceleration, often with a "power limited" type message
- Appears after sustained hard driving, towing, track use, or long climbs, especially in hot weather
- Power returns once the drive unit cools
- May be accompanied by other thermal warnings during heavy use
Probable Causes (Ranked by Likelihood)
- Sustained high load (track driving, towing, repeated hard launches, or steep grades) heating the motor stator Likely
- High ambient temperature reducing cooling headroom Possible
- A powertrain cooling-system fault -- low coolant, a failing coolant pump, or restricted radiator flow Possible
Frequently Asked Questions
What does DI_w046 mean?
It means the drive motor stator has reached an over-temperature threshold and the car has temporarily reduced power to protect the drive unit. It is most often the result of sustained hard driving, towing, or hot conditions.
Is DI_w046 a serious problem?
Usually not if it only appears during hard use or extreme heat and clears once the car cools -- that is normal protection. If it shows up during normal, light driving, have the powertrain cooling system checked.
Mechanics Guide Step-by-step diagnosis
Step-by-Step Diagnostic Procedure
Per Tesla, a motor over-temperature condition was detected and power is reduced to protect the drive unit. If it was triggered by hard use or heat, let the car cool and full power returns -- this is normal protective behavior.
If the over-temperature warning appears during ordinary driving (not track/towing/heat), suspect the powertrain cooling system: check coolant level and have the coolant pump and radiator flow inspected.
Repeated or low-load occurrences warrant a Tesla service inspection of the drive-unit cooling circuit.
Sources 2
This page is built from documented references. Verify against your own service info before repair work.
- Tesla firmware alert reference (core-hacked/tesla-alerts-dictionary): DI_w046_statorOTcommunity-maintained dictionary, not an official manufacturer document
- Tessie Tesla alert statisticsthird-party Tesla alert reference with owner-telemetry frequency — not an official Tesla document
Commonly Affected Vehicles
- Tesla Model 3
- Tesla Model Y
- Tesla Model S
- Tesla Model X
- Tesla Cybertruck
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