Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues

[mnx]

Not sure I understand--it sounds as if you're implying that no other cars ever have mechanical issues?

I'm not sure I'd tolerate a 2 week old car needing a tow if it weren't a Tesla. I've just run into my first issue on a newish car with my BMW @ > 25,000 miles. The urea pump quit working and needs to be replaced. Fortunately I could drive it for 1600km before it would leave me stranded.

 

[efusco]

I'm not sure I'd tolerate a 2 week old car needing a tow if it weren't a Tesla. I've just run into my first issue on a newish car with my BMW @ > 25,000 miles. The urea pump quit working and needs to be replaced. Fortunately I could drive it for 1600km before it would leave me stranded.

guarantee there have been plenty of BMWs that had to be towed in the first 2 weeks. It happens, the concern is the frequency for a given sample.

 

[mnx]

guarantee there have been plenty of BMWs that had to be towed in the first 2 weeks. It happens, the concern is the frequency for a given sample.

I totally agree.

 

[FlasherZ]

guarantee there have been plenty of BMWs that had to be towed in the first 2 weeks. It happens, the concern is the frequency for a given sample.

I've had a new car quit on me just 15 miles out of the dealer's lot.
I've had a rebuilt engine throw a rod just 2 miles from the shop.

It happens.

 

[Lloyd]

Yep, had a turbocharger blow an oil seal and throw HUGE amounts of smoke and oil out the exhaust. Two weeks old also. It took six weeks for them to warrenty the turbocharger and damaged catalytic converter.

 

[Todd Burch]

From what I hear, I am the first or among the first to have an inverter fault on the Model S. (Still haven't heard if it's real or just a glitch). Anyone else have this problem, or am I the lucky one?

 

[Suzieq]

I've had a rebuilt engine throw a rod just 2 miles from the shop.

It happens.

No question... stuff happens. But consumers have gotten used to extremely reliable cars. My point is that the Lexus, Acuras and Cadillacs of the world don't have to worry about their reputation. It's based on lots of cars, Lots of experiences... Tesla does not have that luxury, and this is a crucial time. Extra investments in QC will save them a lot- negative PR is expensive to overcome. Anyway we are off topic.

 

[kinddog]

Not sure I understand--it sounds as if you're implying that no other cars ever have mechanical issues?

ya burn, Suzieq, YA BUUURRRRNNNNNN!!!!!!

- - - Updated - - -

It's what I signed on for as an early reservation holder!

a great (and correct) attitude to take, Todd.

thanks for all the details of your experience. and the roadside assistance is amazing if it's as you described. wow.

your inconvenience will be a benefit to all those who follow you, as the Tesla teams learns from this incident. thanks for the sacrifice and hope you get back on the road soon!

 

[swegman]

I must be the odd person because I have not had a car break down since 1985. That car was a Corvette, and it turned out that the injectors were getting clogged from fuel deposits. Switching to Mobil high detergent gas eliminated the problem. Since then, I've had an Acura, two Audis, countless Lexus and MB, and those cars never broke. However, I usually got rid of the car for a new car when the odometer would read between 35K and 45K. I do have a 2005 Prius with 102K miles on it (love the car, and it is the first car I have owned in my life with more than 100K miles on it), and the only problems I had with it was a burnt out rear bulb, and a sensor for detecting the position of the HID headlights. I will be upset if the Tesla leaves me stranded.

BTW, my wife took delivery of a 2013 Toyota Avalon hybrid yesterday. If the Tesla breaks (and her car does not), she will not let me live it down.

 

[Suzieq]

I must be the odd person because I have not had a car break down since 1985.

No, I believe your experience is more typical of most car owners and thus my comments. Reliability is the number one value that most consumers want in a vehicle. If arriving on time is critical to your livelihood, then you won't consider a vehicle that's not perceived as reliable.

 

[SUN-day Driver]

From what I hear, I am the first or among the first to have an inverter fault on the Model S. (Still haven't heard if it's real or just a glitch). Anyone else have this problem, or am I the lucky one?

I remember reading about someone else (can't remember who it was) who had the reduced power issue (while demoing the car to friends!) but like yours it soon went away. So it seems to not be such an isolated incident.

 

[AnOutsider]

I remember reading about someone else (can't remember who it was) who had the reduced power issue (while demoing the car to friends!) but like yours it soon went away. So it seems to not be such an isolated incident.

I also had the issue. Pulling over and rebooting fixed it. Never even called Tesla since I'd seen it discussed here.

 

[GeekGirls]

Reliability is the number one value that most consumers want in a vehicle.

Some consumers, certainly. Probably even most. If it was the number one characteristic for everyone, though, there would have been far fewer Jaguars sold during their temperamental years.

If arriving on time is critical to your livelihood, then you won't consider a vehicle that's not perceived as reliable.

Agreed. I suspect most of Tesla's early adopters know full well that they're on the cutting edge with a vehicle that is bound to have a few quirks initially. Most people who absolutely rely on their car will avoid the first model year after a redesign, never mind a brand new model, and they should absolutely avoid a fledgling manufacturer. In the long run, though, I think there is every reason to believe that the simpler design of the Model S will be more reliable. We bought our Model S because we believe in the promise of the technology, not because we believe it's fully mature.

One thing to keep in mind is that Tesla appears to have very conservative monitoring of all of the car's systems. The "tire pressure system need service" message appears to indicate that it has observed a situation it didn't expect (tire pressure increasing over time while the car is in motion) and is simply playing it safe. Likewise, I've received an air suspension warning that has been confirmed by Tesla to reflect an abundance of caution, not an actual problem. As they understand what situations are and are not issues in practice I'm sure they'll fine tune the warnings.

 

[JRP3]

In the long run, though, I think there is every reason to believe that the simpler design of the Model S will be more reliable.

Hopefully, though to some of us the S is rather over complicated in many ways, offsetting the benefits that come with the simplicity of electric drive. I realize what Elon is trying to do by including cutting edge technology and gee wiz features but in a way it's just asking for trouble in a first of it's type vehicle. The fact that it's going as well as it is speaks volumes about the work that they've put into it, and hopefully they'll get most of the issues worked out quickly.

 

[Suzieq]

Reliability is the number one value that most consumers want in a vehicle.

Some consumers, certainly. Probably even most. If it was the number one characteristic for everyone, though, there would have been far fewer Jaguars sold during their temperamental years.

Most consumers, definitely. I think if you compare the number of Jaguars and other enthusiast (not necessarily reliable) cars to the number of Lexus, Infinitis, Acuras, Cadillacs, Toyotas, Hondas etc etc etc you won't be surprised to find that the great majority of automobile users are interested primarily in reliable and safe transportation from point A to point B. Everything else, comfort, cost, coolness, and performance, is secondary.

If Tesla is to become the world changer that we all want it to be, reliability must be a non-issue. Careful attention to this will make sure that they succeed.

I am, like you, a huge fan of Elon and his products. But I am not looking at the world through Model S colored glasses... (yes I did order a red S...;-))

 

[Todd Burch]

Most consumers, definitely. I think if you compare the number of Jaguars and other enthusiast (not necessarily reliable) cars to the number of Lexus, Infinitis, Acuras, Cadillacs, Toyotas, Hondas etc etc etc you won't be surprised to find that the great majority of automobile users are interested primarily in reliable and safe transportation from point A to point B. Everything else, comfort, cost, coolness, and performance, is secondary.

If Tesla is to become the world changer that we all want it to be, reliability must be a non-issue. Careful attention to this will make sure that they succeed.

I am, like you, a huge fan of Elon and his products. But I am not looking at the world through Model S colored glasses... (yes I did order a red S...;-))

One of the cool things about Tesla--and that gives them a long-term advantages over other automakers--is that they are very vertically integrated and can iterate quickly. As I said before, I'm still not sure if this is a software or hardware issue (just pinged the service center to see if they know yet), but this problem appears to be very rare, and not debilitating. In fact, it sounds like one or two other people had it happen, but they kept on driving. I just took the more conservative route of calling roadside assistance.

The jury is still way out on the Model S reliability--but I think it's still too early to be making drivetrain reliability conclusions at this point in the game. The 12V battery issue when the cars first came out appeared to be a major issue. Cars were not starting. Turns out it was firmware related--it was corrected in a matter of weeks, and that problem's now gone.

I suspect this will be a similar story.

In all honesty, I think the Model S could have gone through another 6 months of refinement and testing before it went to market. But I also realize that a) they had to start selling cars, b) most issues can be fixed in software, and b) any hardware issues that crop up will be taken care of quickly by Tesla. So I'm not worried.

As a mechanical engineer, I find it nearly impossible to believe that (after the initial growing pains are past us) the Model S drivetrain will be less reliable than any ICE.

 

[dtich]

As a mechanical engineer, I find it nearly impossible to believe that (after the initial growing pains are past us) the Model S drivetrain will be less reliable than any ICE.

it will be much more reliable. no doubt. on the basis of moving parts and possible faults alone. we're doing the shake out now. it's gonna be fire and forget very shortly. imo.

 

[joefee]

one of the cool things about tesla--and that gives them a long-term advantages over other automakers--is that they are very vertically integrated and can iterate quickly. As i said before, i'm still not sure if this is a software or hardware issue (just pinged the service center to see if they know yet), but this problem appears to be very rare, and not debilitating. In fact, it sounds like one or two other people had it happen, but they kept on driving. I just took the more conservative route of calling roadside assistance.

The jury is still way out on the model s reliability--but i think it's still too early to be making drivetrain reliability conclusions at this point in the game. The 12v battery issue when the cars first came out appeared to be a major issue. Cars were not starting. Turns out it was firmware related--it was corrected in a matter of weeks, and that problem's now gone.

I suspect this will be a similar story.

In all honesty, i think the model s could have gone through another 6 months of refinement and testing before it went to market. But i also realize that a) they had to start selling cars, b) most issues can be fixed in software, and b) any hardware issues that crop up will be taken care of quickly by tesla. So i'm not worried.

As a mechanical engineer, i find it nearly impossible to believe that (after the initial growing pains are past us) the model s drivetrain will be less reliable than any ice.

totally agree on both counts....tsla had to get the car out to save the company & it was 6 months too early. But would you have wanted to wait?

 

[dlmorgan999]

But would you have wanted to wait?

Not me! I'm more than willing to deal with a few bumps, in order to get the car earlier. :smile:

 

[znino]

Finally had my car washed today after a few weeks of winter grime. Boy did it need it. I noticed something for the first time today (really wondering why I wouldn't have noticed it before because now it is bugging me and I totally see it all the time). If I look through the windshield at the place just above where it meets the dash (so the lowest part of the glass that you can see through to the road) I notice that the image is distorted. If I look at the lines on the road, for example, at that angle (my eye looking through the windshield at its very bottom) the lines curve and are distorted (kind of as if the glass there is not flat but curved). I would love to know if anyone else has noticed this or if this is just a defect in my windshield. It is quite freaky when you look at the road at that angle (granted you normally look straight ahead but I have never noticed this on another car). I am only 5'9". someone shorter might not notice it since they will be looking more straight out but the taller you are the more you would notice it. I would expect distortion where the glass curves a lot but not really in line with the normal field of view looking just beyond the car's body.

I have attached a 10 second clip showing what I mean. You can see the horizontal metal bar on my garage door getting distorted as I move the camera around (simulating my head moving). When i drive and the lane lines are going by they distort at the bottom of the windshield. Very strange.