Help: Tesla refused to fix incorrect seat belt installation and front panel/headlight misalignment

[mekdev]

Hi everyone,


Long time reader here and I am sorry that my first post on here is not about awesome our car is but the disappointment with being treated at Tesla's Body Repair Center in San Jose.

I recently got a Model X from the CPO program and was scheduled to get a few items addressed by the Body Repair Center in San Jose after being accepted and referred to by the Service Center in Palo Alto. The situation below happened on Jan 2nd at 11:15AM.

Upon arriving at the Body Repair Center in San Jose, the manager (Jeramy Holloway) told me that he will not address the incorrect seat belt installation and front panel misalignment. The latter of which was already confirmed by Tesla service center of Palo Alto that the gap is above the margin tolerance and should be addressed. To quote, he said that these issues are the things that CPO owners will have to deal with and pay out of pocket to address themselves. He stated that Tesla should not be responsible for this. I explained to him that Model X early build vins (0313) have a known problem of build quality issues and that the CPO warranty still covers defective materials and workmanship. He blatantly ignored, refused to take the vehicle and sent me home.


I felt that these were reasonable items within the CPO warranty coverage, I am aware of the limits of the CPO warranty (more on this below). I am not trying to be unreasonable here or get a free load from Tesla. I am aware of the limits of the CPO program and vehicle. There are additional items with the car that I am NOT asking Tesla to fix (more on this below).


Incorrect seat belt installation

The seatbelt of the middle 2nd row seat was incorrectly installed. The belt is twisted and the latch on the wrong side. I have tried to fix it but it cannot be corrected without disassembling/reassembling.
Two weeks prior a mobile technician came by to help fix the garage door opener issue and advised that this should still be covered under warranty.

We use the middle seat with a child booster seat and it is definitely not normal how the belt is twisted with the passenger/seat is strapped in. I have raised the concern regarding safety to the manager but his response is just that Tesla will not fix it.


Pictures attached:

Front panel/headlight misalignment

The technician at Palo Alto’s service center had already examine the gaps and recommended that it is addressed since the gap around the headlight is above margin. Note, the vehicle also has the known falcon door chewing up paint which was also scheduled to be fixed.

CPO warranty terms

According to the CPO Warranty terms, the warranty covers the repair of defects in the materials or workmanship: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/Tesla_Pre-Owned_Warranty-NA.pdf

Page 4 under "Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty"

“the Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty covers the repair or replacement necessary to correct defects in the materials or workmanship of any parts manufactured or supplied by Tesla that occur under normal use for an incremental period of 4 years or 50,000 miles (80,000 km) from the first day and at the mileage a used vehicle is delivered to the first used vehicle purchaser, whichever comes first.”​

This agreement is posted on every CPO vehicle on New & Used Electric Cars | Tesla


Items NOT requesting Tesla to be responsible for

• Known bumper fitment (disclosed in the listing) I told him that I was happy to be responsible for this.
• Falcon door alignment.
• Back window, quarter panel alignment.
• Other trivial fit build quality issues.

Moving forward

Overall, this was quite a let down given the good things I have heard regarding Tesla service centers and the CPO program in general. It is also odd/inconsistent given that other service center technicians had already referred on items to be fixed but then being denied at the Body Repair center. It's almost as if CPO owners are now second class citizens and they shouldn't be expecting the same quality of service as new vehicle owners.

Honestly I like the company, have a lot of respect for Elon and want to be a supporter of Tesla. But experience like this really sheds a bad light on customer service and how the body repair center is being run. I don't feel comfortable letting this slide.

This has also been a-lot of time investment, I have waited 1.5+ months for my appointment at the body repair center on 2nd of Jan. This visit was only referred to after visiting the Palo Alto service center on November 16, 2018. I am currently waiting for the body repair center to reach back with no ETA. I have sent an escalation via the online portal. I have yet to hear back.

Sorry for having to unload my frustration and situation here on TMC, but I don't really know a better community to consult. I am requesting help from fellow TMC members on the path forward.

So far what I have done:

• Went to get a 2nd opinion from a certified Tesla repair center (Service King). I was also asking the price to fix the bent bumper fitment. They will not work on the vehicle since there is a fundamental problem in the body alignment. They also think that the seatbelt should be fixed by Tesla.
• Escalate the issue in the owner portal. I have yet to hear back

I would appreciate any help to resolve this.

 

[MP3Mike]

I don't think the CPO warranty covers cosmetic panel/headlight alignment issues, as there would be no way to know if those were like that from the factory or the result of something the prior owner(s) did/had done. (Unless they were noted as something that Tesla would repair on a "Due Bill" during your delivery.)

But yes, CPO cars are now second rate citizens since they are no longer refurbished and sold as like-new.

As far as the seat belt issue is it not possible that someone twisted it and passed it through the buckle? Which again wouldn't be a warranty issue. I see it happen to cars all the time. (I don't have an X so I don't know if it is physically impossible to fold the belt over and pass it through.) But it seems like seat belts are specially called out as covered in the CPO warranty, as long as that is a manufacturing defect.

As far as Service King refusing to work on it, that is really weird, why would a shop refuse to be paid to work on a vehicle? Was the vehicle in an accident and repaired poorly?

 

[mekdev]

Thanks MP3Mike.

CPO cars are now second rate citizens since they are no longer refurbished and sold as like-new.​

My understanding was that they are no longer refurbished at the time of sale but the warranty should still cover defecting items and workmanship. Prior to visiting the Body Repair center, the service center helped me address a loose interior panel, steering wheel items and etc. They confirmed that the panel/headlight is above error margin and they referred me to the Body Repair center.

is it not possible that someone twisted it and passed it through the buckle?​

I have tried folding the belt over and passing it through and it is not possible. The gap for the latch is not big enough.

Was the vehicle in an accident and repaired poorly?​

The vehicle showed a clean carfax and I was told by the SA that it was not involved in an accident.

 

[dethman]

Hi everyone,

Overall, this was quite a let down given the good things I have heard regarding Tesla service centers and the CPO program in general.

really? where have you been reading?

welcome to the tesla family, where poorly made vehicles and even worse customer service are par for the course (and for some reason accepted by everyone on this board because they get to go WHEEEE!!! from 0-60). to get anything done will always require at least 3 phone calls and five emails and frequently an executive escalation, who may or may not get back to you. and then you will get a service appt 1.5 months out where they will change their story entirely.

get everything in writing, everything documented, do not take the word of any tesla minion employee who more often than not has no clue whatsoever and will spout out gibberish in regards to tesla policy, technology, repairs. anything to get you out the door. ALWAYS ask to talk to a supervisor. it's shameful how they run this company.

 

[MP3Mike]

is it not possible that someone twisted it and passed it through the buckle?I have tried folding the belt over and passing it through and it is not possible. The gap for the latch is not big enough.

A quick search on the forum shows that this is a fairly common thing to happen: Twisted second row seat belt

This happened to me. You won't be able to rotate the buckle. I tried and so did the service advisor. The belt has been rotated. I fixed it by extending the belt as far as it would go and then folded it on itself and fed it beck in. After that, if I pulled the belt all the way out, it seemed to have kept that rotation. Its weird but worked for me.

and Twisted monopost seat belt:

Really easy fix pull it all the way out twist it back let it retract back in. My boys mess them up a lot.

​

So it sounds like a simple fix.

 

[MP3Mike]

Was the vehicle in an accident and repaired poorly?The vehicle showed a clean carfax and I was told by the SA that it was not involved in an accident.

The SA probably said that it wasn't in an accident that they were aware of. Not every accident is reported to Carfax, and if the prior owner didn't report it to Tesla when they returned/traded it in Tesla would have no way of knowing.

 

[MP3Mike]

They confirmed that the panel/headlight is above error margin and they referred me to the Body Repair center.

When they referred you did they specially say that they would pay for the repair? Or was it more of just a "Yes, it is out of alignment and if you want it fixed you will need to take it to a body repair center." And they left off the "and you will need to pay for it."

 

[mekdev]

Thanks guys..

@MP3Mike

Thanks for all the links, I did take a look at them but it seems like all the examples are for the belts that are twisted from the top. Mine is twisted at the bottom when the latch is in the correct position. I have attached a pic.


If it is a simple fix, I am surprised why the repair center would not just fix it. The aggressive manner to how it was communicate to me was not necessary.

When they referred you did they specially say that they would pay for the repair?

Yes this was sent in as a due bill and was noted at the time

 

[JayyyDeee]

really? where have you been reading?

welcome to the tesla family, where poorly made vehicles and even worse customer service are par for the course (and for some reason accepted by everyone on this board because they get to go WHEEEE!!! from 0-60). to get anything done will always require at least 3 phone calls and five emails and frequently an executive escalation, who may or may not get back to you. and then you will get a service appt 1.5 months out where they will change their story entirely.

get everything in writing, everything documented, do not take the word of any tesla minion employee who more often than not has no clue whatsoever and will spout out gibberish in regards to tesla policy, technology, repairs. anything to get you out the door. ALWAYS ask to talk to a supervisor. it's shameful how they run this company.

I second this post... I love my car but the people that built it and the people that service it are major garbage

 

[MP3Mike]

Yes this was sent in as a due bill and was noted at the time

@mekdev So you presented your copy of the due bill to the Tesla body shop and they refused to complete the work that was listed on it?

 

[mekdev]

@mekdev So you presented your copy of the due bill to the Tesla body shop and they refused to complete the work that was listed on it?

Yes, the no due bill was already noted in the system for the front headlight/panel gaps which are above tolerance margin of error.

----

I second this post... I love my car but the people that built it and the people that service it are major garbage

I feel like there is a very inconsistent level of service amongst the different departments/locations. My service center (not the body repair center responsible for this thread) went above and beyond to address the items under warranty. (shout out to the folks at Tesla of Palo Alto) A few of the items they fixed after delivery:

• Vibration caused by loosened interior panel (replaced worn-out panel retainer clips)
  
• Sounds from steering rack
• Garage door opener
• Replaced missing retainer clips
• etc.

After visiting the San Jose Body Repair center it felt like a different company. The way the situation was handled, communication and etc. You just don't send a customer home bluntly with no ETA or follow up.


Updates:

Currently reaching out to a bodyshop advocate to follow up on the situation.
A family friend who is an attorney also recommends filing a complaint with the Department of Consumer Affairs (Bureau of Automotive Repair) Bureau of Automotive Repair, State of California, Dept. of Consumer Affairs citing that the Tesla Body shop has failed to comply with the Pre-owned warranty set forth in https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/Tesla_Pre-Owned_Warranty-NA.pdf

 

[mekdev]

I wanted to update that Tesla Executive escalation has reached back and facilitated the repairs of the items mentioned in this thread.

Thanks all.

 

[neroden]

Glad to hear that executive escalation worked. Man, there are some management problems in the service center hierarchy... I mean, this obviously should never have happened to you.