Add me to the list. Twice.
P85 (#P02364) with 29,xxx miles. Took delivery Dec 2012.
July 11 2014: Heading from SoCal to Las Vegas. Accelerating from stop light in Vegas, loud CLUNK...then whirring sound but no torque to wheels. Las Vegas service center arrived in about 50 minutes with loaner (tow truck was there first).
July 12 2014: LV SC replaces entire drivetrain (had in stock). Says this is only the second they've done. Car is returned and seems to be running smoothly again.
Awful failure, incredible response/fix (couldn't do that with ICE blown engine...but how often does an ICE with 30k miles blow an engine???).
July 13 2014: after waiting 40 minutes for slot at Barstow Supercharger and then charging in 109F heat, get message that cooling is being diverted to "systems" (so there is NO CABIN A/C). Even after unplugging from supercharger (which pushes much more current through the system than normal driving) and driving for an hour, NO CABIN A/C. While I suppose this could have been a problem with the coolant flush/replace/bleed that was done with the drivetrain swap, it just seems like not enough output from the A/C, which is screamingly loud.
Now the car is at the Van Nuys SC getting A/C fixed and sound insulation kit installed (standard with current shipments)...and what do they say? There is an unspecified (or at least undisclosed) "fault" in the drivetrain and they need to
replace the drivetrain AGAIN.
And what have the issues causing drivetrain failures done to my battery? If it has been a cooling issue, couldn't the battery overheat also? Even if not to the point of generating an alarm and shutting down, it can't be good.
I've been a real supporter of Tesla and, like many others, have forgiven non-critical part failures (door handles, window, seat - see my full review, not including incidents of last few days, at
http://evtripplanner.com/review.php). This drivetrain and A/C combo is shaking me...can I trust the car for road trips? what if the failure happened at high speed in the middle of the desert? what if I couldn't get safely out of traffic?
These types of failures would NOT be accepted in a $30k ICE vehicle. The reasons I think these issues have not hurt Tesla too much are:
* Incredible driving experience (when everything is working)
* Early adopters are very forgiving, keeping the "big picture" in mind
* Over-the-top service response and valet pick-up with loaners
* Quality issues aren't well-publicized (to new buyers)
If new units being shipped have the kind of issues the first few thousand seem to have had, it will be hard for Tesla to sustain their sales and reputation. Also of concern are warranty reserves, which seem low if these issues are happening as frequently as it seemed to in early cars. I sure want Tesla to succeed, so I hope current buyers don't have this experience!
