Tesla Powerwall 2 recall in Australia: what to do

There is an open Australian recall on the Tesla Powerwall 2. It covers units sold between 1 November 2020 and 23 August 2025, and within that window it affects only some units. Tesla identifies the affected batteries individually and notifies owners through the Tesla app. The remedy is a free replacement, and it is booked through whoever installed the battery.

We install and service Tesla Powerwall around Canberra and the surrounding NSW towns — more than 900 batteries on homes — so we field this question weekly. Below is what the recall actually says, taken from the ACCC record instead of from news coverage, which in several places still prints the original 2022 cut-off that was extended last April.

What the recall covers

The record is PRA 2025/20611 on the ACCC's product safety register, published 16 September 2025 and last amended 12 August 2026. It names the Powerwall 2 battery itself, sold nationally.

The fault is in the cells, not in the installation. In the ACCC's words, Tesla identified certain lithium-ion battery cells from a third-party supplier in a subset of Powerwall 2 systems that may fail and overheat. Tesla has had reports of affected units smoking or emitting flames, resulting in minor property damage.

The register also records that no injuries have been reported, and that most affected units have already been remotely discharged. So this is a real fault being fixed at Tesla's cost, not an emergency sitting on your wall tonight. Both halves of that are worth saying plainly.

One detail catches people out. The sale window was originally November 2020 to June 2022. It was extended to 23 August 2025 by an amendment in April 2026. Articles written when the recall was first announced still carry the old date, so a unit that looked unaffected in 2025 may be inside the window now.

How do I know if my Powerwall 2 is affected?

You cannot work it out from a serial number, because no list is published. The ACCC record says only that each unit has a unique serial number, and Tesla determines affected status per unit.

What you can do:

1. Open the Tesla app and confirm the battery is online. An affected unit that is offline cannot be flagged or discharged remotely.
2. Look for a recall notification against the system in the app. That is how Tesla contacts owners.
3. If it is flagged, ring the company that installed it and book the replacement.
4. If that installer is no longer trading, Tesla handles it directly on 1800 958 369 (8:00 am – 6:00 pm AEST), by email at PWNoticeANZ@tesla.com, or through Tesla's Powerwall 2 replacement page.

What Tesla does about an affected unit

It is replaced, free. Before that happens, Tesla remotely discharges the battery to take the risk down while the unit is still on the wall. That is why owners often notice the battery has stopped cycling before they hear anything else.

That discharge has a cost to you: a battery sitting empty is not saving you anything on your bill. Tesla will consider compensation for the lost savings over that period, assessed case by case. It is worth asking, because it is not applied automatically.

Is the Tesla Powerwall 3 affected?

No. The recall names the Powerwall 2 only. The Powerwall 3 is a different unit built with different cells, and it does not appear anywhere in the ACCC notice.

If you are reading this because you own a Powerwall 3 and saw a Powerwall recall headline, that is the whole answer.

The Powerwall 2, and where it sits now

The Powerwall 2 is a 13.5 kWh battery that needs a separate solar inverter beside it. That is the practical difference from the Powerwall 3, which has the inverter built in and takes panels straight into the unit as DC.

It is no longer the unit being installed here. If you own one and it is working, that is fine — it is a competent battery and nothing about the recall changes that for a unit outside the affected window. If you are being offered a used or old-stock Powerwall 2 today, check its sale date against the recall window before you agree to anything.

If yours is replaced, what you get

A replacement unit and a working system again. What the swap does not do is upgrade you: it restores what you bought.

People do ask at that point whether it is worth moving to a Powerwall 3 instead, or adding capacity. That is a real conversation, and the answer depends on your existing inverter, your switchboard and what you want from the system. But it is a separate decision from the recall. The replacement itself costs you nothing, so do not let anyone bundle the two into one quote without separating them.