Competitive analysis shows that Tesla battery design and management provide extraordinary reliability,
Source? I've not seen any evidence of this.
Many Tesla vehicle components are provided by the same vendors that supply other manufacturers. Wouldn't expect much difference in reliability between Tesla and any other manufacturer.
Sourcing of components is VERY different depending on the automaker. Look under the hood of a Toyota and you'll see many components from Denso (Toyota owns ~24% of them:
State of Shareholders | Investors | DENSO Global Website) and Aisin for transmissions (Toyota owns about 24% of them as well:
Stock Information & Ratings | Aisin Seiki Global Website), for instance. For a Nissan, you'll find many from Calsonic (Nissan used to own a ~41% of them) and transmissions from Jatco (Nissan owns 75% of the company:
https://www.jatco.co.jp/english/company/profile.html). Stereos in Toyota tend to be from Fujitsu Ten (aka Eclipse). Stereos in Nissans tend to be from Clarion.
European cars will tend to have more components and subsystems supplied by European suppliers (e.g. Bosch,
Forward-Looking Products for Engines, Transmissions, and Chassis Systems (has brands like INA, FAG and LuK), Valeo, Continental, ZF, etc.)
Take a look at
Suppliers to the 2018 Tesla Model 3 vs say
Suppliers to the 2012 Toyota Camry vs
Suppliers to the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze. There are PDFs on those pages you can d/l for better readability. Google for suppliers to (insert name of automobile here) then click on Images for other examples of these. Take a look at
Suppliers to the BMW 3 and 4 Series.
I can't speak to 3, but the earlier Model S had a bunch of parts from the Mercedes parts catalog.
For example, some guy posted some whacko info that I refuted at
A/C Compressor finally failed. But $3400??!. The Model S AC compressor came from HVCC/Hanon Systems of South Korea. Toyota's AC compressors tend to come from Denso.
Tesla is currently near the bottom of the pack, so there is a difference. See chart at
Tesla slips several spots in Consumer Reports reliability ranking. I am however surprised the 3 attained an average reliability rating.
Model X achieved 2nd from bottom of
10 Least Reliable Cars. The previous year X was dead last (
10 Least Reliable Cars). The year before that, X was middle of bottom 10 (
10 Least Reliable Cars). Model X 1st deliveries were at end of Sep 2015.
For those reasons, I would be far more concerned about reliability and longevity for BEVs from other manufacturers with far fewer years and millions of miles.
BEVs have far fewer systems and moving parts than ICE. Also, electric drivetrain does not have to cope with thousands of explosions per minute producing burning-hot combustion products to handle. This makes it easier for Tesla to have high reliability.
Yet these guys went thru at least 7 drive units on their S.
Drive Unit Replacement Poll
6th drive unit replacement and more
Drive Unit Replacement Poll
And the DU replacement rate from the survey finished sometime in 2015 was terrible:
Two Thirds of Early Model S Drivetrains May Fail By 60,000miles
I've been on active on MyNissanLeaf since mid-2011 and I can't think of single case of a motor replacement for failure. The Leaf's been shipping since Dec 2010. There have been extremely rare cases of a Leaf motor replaced for noise but have been FAR rarer than what see on TMC for DU replacements on any Model S or 3.
I don't have much time to frequent TMC and sometimes take a hiatus, but every now and then when I note a 3 DU replacement, I bookmark it. Here are the ones I know of (hope I didn't include dupes):
Tesla Model 3 Down: Won't Power Up, and is Inaccessible
Rear motor disabled
Delivery Problems
My So my M3 broke down 2 days after delivery
Model 3: Breakdowns
1 Week into Model 3 ownership and had to get Towed
I miss my car.
Poor communication and customer service for delivery
86% of June Model 3s "reworked"
Delivery Dramas
My drive unit failed, pyro fuse blew, both brake calipers were replaced and boy do I LOVE this car!
Rear Drive Unit Failed During Pre-Delivery Inspection
Car shutting down - PULL OVER SAFELY on the freeway 3 days after delivery
Tesla Model 3 Drive System Validated after 1 Million Miles of Testing
One day old Model 3 "PULL OVER SAFELY
One day old Model 3 "PULL OVER SAFELY
I'm sure there are more.
By the time warranty expires, there will be few additional problems.
You cannot know this at this point. Get back to me once we have Model 3's years or 10s of thousands of miles past warranty expiration. Did people who bought a Model S long ago know they'd develop problems w/their LCD or MCU? How about the door handles or half shafts (
Clunking sound is costing me a bundle to fix out of warranty).
Pmacafee at
Model S Not Ready For Commercial Use Prime Time. Can I afford to own this car? and
$2700 to fix MCU. Might DIY, but how much to reprogram new unit? has had some pricey out of warranty issues developed on the S in question.
There's a strong financial incentive for automakers to keep their warranty repair costs low and not as strong of one once warranties have expired.
You listed your Model S data points. FWIW, Model S has had on/off at least average and below average reliability. It's fallen off recommended again due to below average reliability:
12 Models Lose CR Recommendation Over Car Reliability Issues.