Tesla superfan launches GoFundMe to fix Model 3 battery after failure at 417,000km

One of the administrators of Australia’s largest Tesla owners group on Facebook has launched a GoFundMe after his Model 3 broke down with over 417,000km on the odometer.

On Friday, January 30, Nathan Merritt’s high-mileage 2021 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range+ shut down completely while charging in Brisbane.

Not able to get access to his vehicle, he called Tesla Roadside which was on the scene within around 45 minutes and replaced the low-voltage battery, only to discover issues with the high-voltage pack. The vehicle consequently had to be towed away for repairs.

“During all my posts several community members suggested they would be willing to throw some dollars towards the repairs to see this vehicle well exceed 500,000km, in true commitment I also believe this will be possible,” reads his GoFundMe.

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Mr Merritt has been a rideshare driver for over 10 years and bought his first Tesla in December 2020, with his grandfather loaning him $20,000 to help with the purchase.

He’s one of four listed admins on Tesla Owners Australia and is an active poster, regularly keeping owners informed of not only his own vehicle’s journey but also general Tesla news including updates on the business and the local Supercharger network.

As of today (Monday, February 2), Mr Merritt has raised $1427 towards his $1800 goal, thanks to a total of 24 donations with amounts ranging from $5 to $500. The two largest donations – $417 and $500 respectively – come from anonymous donors.

GoFundMe pages are often created for people who are suffering from illnesses, or whom have recently lost a loved one. It’s not unprecedented for one to be created to fund costly car repairs, though many of those currently listed on the crowdfunding site have been created on behalf of somebody else.

Mr Merritt’s original post on Facebook from Saturday, January 31, has attracted 571 comments, with the top comment receiving 436 subsequent comments and reading: “Being a business expense I think the gofundme is in poor taste personally”.

Comments have now been turned off and users on other Tesla Facebook groups have reported they have been suspended from posting.

Mr Merritt posted yesterday on Tesla Owners Australia to address users’ concerns, claiming a “large” portion of remarks came from new members to the public Facebook group.

“During my posts many different community members commented suggesting that I create a GoFundMe, to ‘Assist’ in the total repairs I decided to create one and see what community members thought,” he said in his post.

“Never did I mention any individuals were ‘Required’ to contribute, it was an option for those who wanted to, Nothing more. I Sincerely appreciate anyone who has put through any amount towards it.

“I also need to express some false information that I was recently informed about regarding our ‘Tesla Powerwall’s’ on our property, these unit’s were ‘Paid for’ not ‘Gifted’ anyone spreading this false information needs to get their facts right.”

Comments weren’t turned on for this post.

As of February 2, 2026, the owners group has over 116,100 members, more than any other Australian Tesla group by a considerable margin.

According to Mr Merritt’s GoFundMe, the group he moderates had over 117,000 members, which indicates several hundred have left since the crowdfunding page went up.

While there are several voices of support for Mr Merritt on his original post, there’s a litany of criticism – numbering in the hundreds of comments – with many noting the high mileage of the moderator’s Tesla, that repairs could be at least partially claimed as business expenses, and that at the inception of the crowdfunding page, he still didn’t have an estimated cost for the repairs.

“Take some equity out of your house to pay for it. You have clearly owned it for multiple years with all your power walls. Any house in Brisbane has made hundreds of thousands over the last 5 years,” says one user.

“Take out 15grand you won’t notice and you are back online running your business and it’s just a hiccup.

“Asking your group for money even if it’s obviously optional is in poor taste and is getting the response it deserves right now.”

“Mate just take it down and say you got this wrong. Because in the nicest possible way – you have,” said another commenter.

“What were your thoughts when you saw people starting them to pay for their holidays? This is the door you’re knocking on right now.

“We all make mistakes and it ok. Just own it and apologise and move on. Certainly banning people for disagreeing with you isn’t helping anything.”

“Mate, you’ve lost me! This is so out of order. You have spoken of the savings you have made over ICE vehicles and then when a potentially major component goes, you want others to fund it? Please don’t do this,” reads another comment.

While these comments remain visible, users can no longer comment on this post.

Mr Merritt says he will keep the community apprised of his Model 3’s repair work.