How Is The Model S Build Quality Holding Up So Far?

[Muttley]

Interested to know from the earliest of the early adopters who already have their Model S on the road how the vehicle is holding up. Any squeeks, rattles or unusual noises? Fit and finish still tight?

Most new cars, not to mention new car companies, are expected to have some early issues. Though I have a lot more faith in Tesla than the old car companies, wondering what folks are seeing out there.

 

[nrcooled]

My MS has been on the road 5 weeks with zero issues/squeaks/rattles etc. It's not that long but the car has been amazing thus far.

You'll find better luck in the technical/mechanical issues thread to hear from those that have had issues though.

Edited to add link: Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues

 

[ChadS]

I'm not "earliest of the early"; but not many of them post here so I'll give it a shot. I got VIN 112 in September.

After 7k miles...the car is awesome. There were a couple of very minor issues on delivery (like orange peel on one piece of hood protector), and I've had a few minor firmware issues (like my wife's phone pairs with the car, but my phone won't anymore). They are minor enough issues that I'm not bothering to take the car in to get them fixed. The biggest issues I have are with features that aren't done yet (like notification when charging stops).

But no squeaks, rattles, wind noise or anything. Fit and finish is great. The vast majority of things mentioned in the "issues" thread I have not seen.

 

[William13]

5,000 miles and 11 weeks of bliss. No squeaks, rattles, finish issues. I don't think software and firmware issues count as a long term issue. I blew a fuse. Not really a Tesla issue. The 12v battery was replaced. Not really an issue now.
No issue with B pillar.

 

[dsm363]

Got mine in late September and have a little over 4,000 miles. Zero mechanical problems so far. Also no squeaks or rattles as well. Same minor software issues that have basically gone away in version 4.2 for me at least.

 

[Muttley]

My MS has been on the road 5 weeks with zero issues/squeaks/rattles etc. It's not that long but the car has been amazing thus far.

You'll find better luck in the technical/mechanical issues thread to hear from those that have had issues though.

Edited to add link: Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues

Thank you for pointing me to that thread. Very informative, if not a bit disconcerting. However, many early adopters seem to have expected issues to crop up as the real world test commenced. As long as the early buyers are patient, and they seem to be, and Tesla is responsive both in terms of fixing the vehicles and incorporating improvements in the build cycle, this should all work out. Glad to see that folks on this thread are having positive experiences.

 

[Sigma4Life]

4 weeks and no major issues. Love the car!

 

[Todd Burch]

Build quality's excellent...the cockpit is unbelieveably solid. I had a drivetrain issue that has kept mine ata service center for engineering analysis for a few days...but seems it might just be a rare software/firmware glitch. Even so, I can't imagine driving anything else. I want my car back!!!!

 

[MarkR]

Four weeks, 1300 miles and no problems except the wear on the trim on the drivers-side pillar/post that appears to be a design flaw (noted elsewhere).

 

[MikeK]

I thought mine had developed a rattle in the front passenger door, which I thought might be related to having had that handle replaced. The other day as I was driving on pavement that made the rattle happen, I leaned over and pressed on the door in a couple of places, and I heard a "click" when I pressed down on the top of the inner door panel. I don't want to jinx myself, but I haven't heard anything since then. I suspect that the panel may not have been fully clicked into place after the service. I sure hope it's that easy!

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

2 months, 4500 miles... Rock solid. On very rough roads I have little squeaky a-pillar speaker cricket noises,but those came with my car. Should be a simple fix

I love the car.

 

[brianman]

There's no wood in my car to knock on, so I'm holding back on replying for now.

 

[Zythryn]

Almost 4 months and 5700 miles.
Had an issue with the 12v battery which Tesla replaced. Generator is making a soft humming sound when regen is active at highway speeds (Ranger dropping by tomorrow to see what they can figure out).
No squeaks or rattles. Has been performing like a champ through the Minnesota winter.
Have experienced virtually none of the issues others have.
I have been very happy to see Tesla's quick response to issues though.

 

[smd]

6 weeks and 2100 miles.

First issue at 10 days. Tesla service needed a few days to diagnose warnings about stability control and air suspension. Yaw sensor needed to be replaced.
Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues - Page 101

Second issue at 5 weeks. Cracked windshield on the right side, replaced by service under warranty.

So far the service center has been great, but I hope not to see it again except for scheduled maintenance. Despite the above issues, I still think it's a great car!

 

[FlasherZ]

2,100 miles on my Signature car so far. I had some initial hiccups (GPS antenna disconnected and/or defective and 2 bad TPMS sensors) but got those corrected.

The car is built very, very well and I have no major problems with it.

There are two things I'm watching closely -- they're not issues for me but they're on my watch list:

1. Air suspension: I've run into a few issues with pressure changes while the car is parked. I once set the car to "very high" and parked it in the garage after being out in the cold. When I returned to the car, I ended up with several warnings about suspension being too high (the warmer air in my garage caused expansion) which cleared after driving a bit. I've also run into a situation where I pull the car into the garage while warm and the colder air caused it to settle a bit. The next time I back the car out of my garage, it will sometimes make a noise as things settle into place. I've had service look at it but they say it all looks ok.

2. The seat post wear: this is a bad design. I can tell this is going to be the first place on the interior that wears out. My wife (6'0") and I (6'2") both rub as we climb in even in some of the most careful boarding routines.

But functionally, I'm pleased as punch.

 

[CanuckS#69]

Five weeks, ~5000km, no service visits, excellent initial quality. Some firmware issues noted by many, but nothing that requires immediate attention. Two firmware updates from the shipped version, both improvements (I was on 4.0, 4.2, and now 4.2 .42). I'm not new to early adoption, but I've been very pleasantly surprised by how few shows toppers have made it out he door.

 

[cinergi]

5,000 miles, 4 months. Perfect, solid.

 

[joefee]

Tesla grin since Nov 2012 …. :love:

 

[spatterso911]

Most reliable car I've owned thus far.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

The car's felt very solid thus far in almost a month and 1,300 miles. My son's been giving the rear doors and handles quite a workout without any issues thus far. I'm using the hatch quite a bit too on a daily basis (to move the UMC and stuff hidden in the footwell back and forth). Very happy.