Consumer Reports Model 3 reliability rating: reliable?

[GreenT]

I can’t see your signature on my phone while in this app.
So you had challenges with an older car.
Things have changed since then.
If you don’t own now, it would be hard to judge based solely on past experiences only don’t you think.
Steering someone away from Tesla based on your past experiences, seems a little biased.
Similar to how CR and some others have been.

Things HAVE indeed changed since then!
Service has gone from incredible to NON existent! Communications likewise.
No, I don't think.
Biased? No! Real world experience.

 

[diplomat33]

Service has gone from incredible to NON existent! Communications likewise.

That's not my experience at all. I had an issue, made a service appointment via the phone app in 2 minutes. Excellent communication from Tesla via text message that mobile service could fix my issue, I replied "yes" to confirm. A week later, a mobile service tech came to my house, fixed my issue in 30 minutes, very professional and 100% free because I am under warranty. Excellent service!

 

[DirtyT3sla]

CR sucks. They're either blatantly lying or have no idea how to use these cars. I made a video criticizing their complaints about navigate on autopilot. They seemed to use it one time and not know how it worked. They also complained about all this "scary, stressful" stuff the car was doing, but had no footage even tho they were recording the entire time.

Here's the video if you're interested:

 

[focher]

2017 Model X
2018 Model 3 Performance

Minor issues, all fixed.

In the meantime, constant software updates have improved both cars. It’s not just that I’m never going back to ICE, I don’t see any other car manufacturers even close to Tesla’s technology.

 

[surfrasch]

have to add to this......been driving Audi's and Volvo's for past 30 years.....my Model 3 isn't only the best and most fun car I've ever had.....nothing I've ever driven is even close! We never drive my wife's '17 Volvo wagon anymore.....It's the most fun I've had since I got my first Scwhinn Stingray bike in the 60's.

 

[srs5694]

CR's complaints are equally weighted. A small bug on a Tesla is weighted the same as an engine blowing out on a Chrysler.

That's not true. I don't have a reference, but I researched this a while back, and CR does weight different problem areas (in its reliability rankings) differently. In your example, a "small bug" (say, music playback skipping tracks) will count less than "an engine blowing out." In particular, CR weights anything that's safety-related or that can leave you stranded at the side of the road more heavily than other issues.

CR is not gospel truth. CR is still just the personal opinion of a few people. I would recommend that you take a look at a Model 3 and do a test drive. Make up your own mind.

The original question was about CR's reliability ratings. Those are based on survey research, not the personal opinions of CR's testers. You could say they're the personal opinions of the survey respondents, but that's true of any survey research.

Or better, get the opinion of a large sample (not just the vocal and disgruntled) of people who own have owned and lived with Tesla for many years.

One redeeming thing about CR is that they do that with their customer satisfaction surveys. Although I will be keen to watch them try to change the methodology so that Tesla doesn't keep winning as they currently do:

This is an important point. CR surveys both reliability (which is meant to be an objective measure, with caveats about it being based on survey research) and customer satisfaction (which is more subjective -- but the subjectivity is that of the survey respondents). Teslas do poor-to-middling in CR's reliability ranking but excellent in customer satisfaction. The reason is hinted at in CR's road tests (which are based on a mixture of objective and subjective measures at their test track), at which Teslas excel -- when they function correctly, Teslas are great vehicles, and so owners are happy with them. They undeniably do, however, have reliability problems. Look at all the complaints on this forum about cars delivered with bad paint jobs, uneven panel gaps, broken USB ports, chargers that work at half speed, etc. Even ignoring CR's reliability ratings, Tesla has a reputation for substandard build quality. Those also happen to be the problem areas that show up as worst in CR's reliability ratings, at least for the Model 3.

That said, today's cars are more reliable than those of past decades. Going from memory, even a car with a poor reliability rating today is only likely to need about one repair in its first year. My criticism of CR's car ratings is that they seem to weight reliability as being much more important than, IMHO, it should be, given the overall low rate of reliability problems in the industry today.

As to the alleged bias of CR's reviewers, I just don't see it. Yes, they call out the touch-screen-centric controls in the Model 3 as distracting and hard to use in some situations (they are) and say the ride is bumpier than in many other cars (it is). Offering fair criticism is not the same thing as bias. Despite these criticisms, Teslas do extremely well in CR's road test scores.

 

[SoCalDriver]

We have three other high end cars but I only want to drive my Model 3. So fast, so techy, such fun..best car ever. 5k miles in 3 months and trouble free. Honestly, if I had a few problems, it would be worth it!

 

[5_+JqckQttqck]

As to the alleged bias of CR's reviewers, I just don't see it. Yes, they call out the touch-screen-centric controls in the Model 3 as distracting and hard to use in some situations (they are) and say the ride is bumpier than in many other cars (it is). Offering fair criticism is not the same thing as bias. Despite these criticisms, Teslas do extremely well in CR's road test scores.

Same can be said of all other brands. Too many buttons and knobs = distracting. I hardly touch the touch screen as everything needed to drive is on the stalks/steering wheel. These are opinions of people and people will always have bias. It depends on the OP's desire and opinions if the Model 3 is for them or not.

Message to the OP: Book a test drive!

 

[ecarfan]

I'm thinking of getting a 3 or an X. Both have terrible ratings and predicted reliability in my CR app. But everyone I know has nothing but good things to say about them. What gives?

As you can see by now, there is a range of opinions on the reliability of Consumer Reports Model 3 reliability rating. I grew up reading CR but am now very disappointed with their perspective on EVs. Most of the reviewers just don’t get it, and their e-Tron review was pathetic.

I am coming up on a year of Model 3 ownership and 10K miles and I have had only one small cosmetic issue which was repaired under warranty. No other problems. I enjoy my 3 even more than my X (which I only bought because I wanted to use it to tow my camper trailer) and my 2013 Model S (which I loved and traded in at 62K miles for an X) and my Roadster (which was a fun but very quirky car that has little relationship to all the Teslas that came after it, I sold it to buy a 3).

Test drive a 3 and an X and decide what works best for you. They are both awesome cars but very different.

 

[Sutton 3P]

But everyone I know has nothing but good things to say about them. What gives?

Because Tesla fans can't think rationally about the brand. They see the cars as a magical lifestyle product, where normal financial, reliability and customer service considerations don't apply (no to mentioned ethical principles, like constantly misleading customers). You only need to read the responses to your thread to see this.

Buying a Tesla is like accepting Jesus into your heart and after that moment your life is transformed so fundamentally that you'll be begging the company to take more of your money.

 

[5_+JqckQttqck]

Because Tesla fans can't think rationally about the brand. They see the cars as a magical lifestyle product, where normal financial, reliability and customer service considerations don't apply (no to mentioned ethical principles, like constantly misleading customers). You only need to read the responses to your thread to see this.

Buying a Tesla is like accepting Jesus into your heart and after that moment your life is transformed so fundamentally that you'll be begging the company to take more of your money.

Truth, the crusade and vision painted by Elon is quite intoxicating. Cult member here

 

[diplomat33]

The original question was about CR's reliability ratings. Those are based on survey research, not the personal opinions of CR's testers. You could say they're the personal opinions of the survey respondents, but that's true of any survey research.

I was not thinking about the reliability ratings. I was thinking more about CR's overall review of the car where they criticize the ride for being too stiff or criticize the center screen for being a distraction. That's more subjective.

 

[dmurphy]

Because Tesla fans can't think rationally about the brand. They see the cars as a magical lifestyle product, where normal financial, reliability and customer service considerations don't apply (no to mentioned ethical principles, like constantly misleading customers). You only need to read the responses to your thread to see this.

Buying a Tesla is like accepting Jesus into your heart and after that moment your life is transformed so fundamentally that you'll be begging the company to take more of your money.

Because mine has been 100% reliable and my customer experience was good, I'm just a blind fanboy, right?

Maybe some of us just enjoy driving the damn thing?

And "ethical principles"? They offered a car for sale, I gave them my money, they gave me a car. Not really sure how that's unethical?

 

[0mpg]

If you read my signature, you'll see I am a former owner.
I had about 80000 miles on it. Model S.
I love(d) the car ... the service became so bad that it became a liability.
Might buy again IF
- they fix their firmware; V8, browser, stop making games, etc.
- add adequate service centers, USA and Europe, with a maximum "gap" similar to other manufacturers.
- support those centers
I saw their best (2013?) and their worst (now) so today, yes, I recommend against buying until they get their act together

Curious what you are driving now?

 

[GreenT]

Curious what you are driving now?

Fair question. Nothing.

 

[gbrgbr]

I have 2 model 3's. I love the service which has been excellent. build quality is great and at least as good (often better) as the hondas and bmws i've owned. they're more fun to drive than a Porsche 911 and have dozens of minor features that make them pure joy to own. add me to the chorus of those saying that the CR reviewers are living in an alternative universe.

 

[Cycle11111]

We have a Model X with 16K miles and a Model 3 P3D- with 21K miles. Both have been very reliable so far and I would say best cars ever so far - we have owned multiple Mercedes, Toyotas, a Hyundai and various US mftgs. The earlier poster complaining about S/W updates I think is super strange - we had one about every 20-30 days and they fix issues and add new functionality constantly and the car is way more capable now than when we got them (2yrs for the X). Now I hardly ever got new S/W other than over priced map updates on our ICE cars and got one for a Bolt I owned (great little car by the way) so the S/W bugs they had were usually a permanent fixture and unlike Tesla never ever got fixed (Hyundai Infotainment system that randomly locked up all touch screen soft controls, Mercedes E-320CDI that would burn out injectors due to fuel management and would lock up sat radio for days, Bolt BMS that would leave you stranded (note this did eventually get an OTA update)). Next the service center experience is definitely not perfect, but to be honest all my ICE cars except Toyota were horrible wrt service - getting Ford on the line to schedule was close to impossible and fixes half the time took two trips, Mercedes could never find S/W gremlins, Hyundai repairs took for ever and GM dealers just don't seem to care - love to tell you the stories from my colleagues that own VWs, Audis and Porsches. Our Teslas are NOT perfect but issues have mostly been minor - button on FWD door, faulty M3 charge port in below freezing and a clogged windshield washer and all of those were fixed via a mobile ranger tech who came to my house or office (wow is that convenient). The only major issue we had was a defective MX door seal and Tesla fixed it with a SC visit. Plus now you schedule nearly all visits or mobile techs from the app and that is seamless in my experience.

 

[cassiopeia]

I grew up trusting Consumer Reports, so I have a hard time just throwing them under the bus. I do feel like they are in a tough place though. They have spent quite a bit of time developing more quantitative ways of measuring things like reliability. In a last millennium/ICE world, every time that the car needs an update of any sort, that is a negative statement about its reliability. It is essentially a recall. In the world over the air software updates, more software updates means more new features are added to your car overnight. A much more positive thing. Similarly, does one give extra credit to electric vehicles because you never have to bring them in for an oil change, where every ICE vehicle has to do that and often gets extra service at the same time? The overhead of those visits isn’t really considered because it is required of all ICE vehicles. I suspect (although I have yet to find solid substantiation) that CR metrics don’t apply well to Tesla, and its not clear how to measure these things. If you have a system that has worked for years, should you really change it just for one new car manufacturer that comes along? It screws up your whole methodology for comparison. They will have to change eventually, but it is likely to be a tricky time for them.

I feel the need for this explanation because it is the only way I can explain what CR says while my personal experience with my 2019 Model S has been so flawless that I just ordered a Model 3 to go with it. It is the only way I can keep from getting upset at CR and simultaneously feel the confidence I feel in my cars - which I do.

Tesla had a lot to learn about building cars, but I feel like it has done so very quickly. Fit and finish quality was an issue early on, but has improved rapidly. Today the whole experience is outstanding and these are the best cars money can buy IMHO.

 

[Phlier]

In 3 whole days of ownership and 150 hard earned miles, I have yet to have a single problem.

I drove Hondas and Toyotas for many years. Drove them because they were reliable. Then in 2005, I bought my first of 3 Dodge Chargers. Went from a Daytona to two different Super Bees. Drove them because they were American muscle cars, and not for reliability (which was a good thing, they weren't reliable, but I didn't expect them to be). Didn't care when they broke down, because I bought them full *knowing* they'd break down. Not reliable, but darn fun when they worked. Loved them a lot.

Bought my Tesla full knowing there'd be bugs. But just like when I bought my Chargers, I went in with eyes wide open, knowing there'd be software bugs, panel gaps, bad paint jobs. Don't care. That's not why I bought the car. Just like when I bought the Chargers, I bought the car for what it is, and I'm sure I don't have to spell that out here.

And I love it.

 

[Octo]

I replied "yes" to confirm. A week later, a mobile service tech came to my house, fixed my issue in 30 minutes, very professional and 100% free because I am under warranty. Excellent service!

I think there’s a disconnect between expectations.

In Dallas, none of the car dealerships I ever “dealt” with made me wait 1 week for an appointment in the past 20 years. It’s always been within 24 hours. Mazda, VW, Audi, BMW and Porsche.

So I can see that people who are used to 24 hour appointments get upset if it takes 7 days instead just for Tesla to look at the car.

I personally haven’t had a problem with my P3 (it’s great) so I don’t know how responsive the Dallas service center is for repair requests.