My 2013 Model S is a Lemon - Any Concessions?

[mccready]

Perhaps you can help me.
I have a 2013 Model S and have had more problems with it, than any other car I have EVER owned.
My warranty is nearly out, and I am hesitant to purchase the $4000 extended plan, because Tesla told me “It does not cover the Little Things.” whatever that means. I really enjoy the car, but can’t justify keeping it under the current circumstances.
I ran into another early adapter, who was having a lot of similar problems, and Tesla sold him a newer model at a price so low, he had to sign a form, agreeing not to disclose the price he paid.
I messaged Elon on his Facebook account, but never received a response. Do you know what I can do and where to go to in order to get some satisfaction?

 

[efusco]

You're SOL, if it was a lemon you should have addressed that 4 years ago.

 

[Zaphod]

Perhaps you can help me.
I have a 2013 Model S and have had more problems with it, than any other car I have EVER owned.
My warranty is nearly out, and I am hesitant to purchase the $4000 extended plan, because Tesla told me “It does not cover the Little Things.” whatever that means. I really enjoy the car, but can’t justify keeping it under the current circumstances.
I ran into another early adapter, who was having a lot of similar problems, and Tesla sold him a newer model at a price so low, he had to sign a form, agreeing not to disclose the price he paid.
I messaged Elon on his Facebook account, but never received a response. Do you know what I can do and where to go to in order to get some satisfaction?

I think you need to research what it means to consider a car a "lemon". Hint, your car does not meet the definition.

Besides, you said your car "had" (past tense) problems with it. So does that mean you no longer have problems?

 

[Racerx22b]

I own a Feb 2013 Model S 85 and a Nov 2016 Model X P100D. Other than a few minor hiccups that were all repaired promptly and at no charge my ownership has been worry free. Part of being an early adopter is accepting that issues are going to happen. That is the price of being the first on the block with a shiny new car from a new car company.

 

[gaswalla]

You drive a car for 4 years, and when the warranty is done, THEN you say you have a lemon? Gimmeabreak

 

[RiverBrick]

By not covering the little things I think they mean there's a deductible (used to be $200) so if there's a minor $100 fix the extended guarantee may not help.

 

[TexasEV]

What do you mean by satisfaction? Your problems were fixed under warranty, I assume. That didn't t satisfy you? There's no reason to believe your car will have more out of warranty problems than any other Model S, if the earlier problems have been fixed. I too have a Model S from 2013 with the 4 year warranty ending next month, and I purchased the extended warranty for $2500 with the car because I was concerned about it being new technology. Even $4000 may be a good deal. Have you ever repaired a BMW or Mercedes out of warranty?

 

[Half Dollar Bill]

I'm also a 2013 owner, with a discontinued green color car.
I guess that means I've got a lime.

 

[Canuck]

My 2013 Model S is a Lemon

I really enjoy the car

You really enjoy the car you call a lemon?

I ran into another early adapter, who was having a lot of similar problems, and Tesla sold him a newer model at a price so low, he had to sign a form, agreeing not to disclose the price he paid.... Do you know what I can do and where to go to in order to get some satisfaction?

I get it now, you want a new one "at a price so low" after you ran into someone who got one that way after complaining and signing a NDA so why not you too, right? Here's a hint -- don't say you "really enjoy the car" and call it "a Lemon" at the same time. It tends to hurt your credibility.

I messaged Elon on his Facebook account, but never received a response.

Now there' a surprise...

 

[MarcusMaximus]

"Any Concessions?"

Why, yes, actually. If you go into any service center or showroom, they should have concessions including coffee and tea.

 

[William13]

Tough crowd. If you want to keep the car get the extended warranty. There is a $200.00 deductible for each visit. My car #520 has had work on air suspension, window, screen, and airbag after 50,000 miles.

 

[Canuck]

My car #520 has had work on air suspension, window, screen, and airbag after 50,000 miles.

I didn't get air suspension because I was concerned about out-of-warranty problems but what was wrong with the window? Was the screen the bubbles problem? What was the airbag problem? -- and the costs associated with each?

If you want to keep the car get the extended warranty.

I'm keeping mine when the warranty is up in 6 months but I won't be buying the extended warranty. It's a gamble and I prefer to keep my money in my wallet and pay for repairs since the gamble is skewed significantly in favour of the house. My car's been relatively solid and the battery and drive train are covered for 8 years so I'm going to skip it. Only time will tell if I regret it.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

You said that your warranty is almost up. That means you are still covered under the lemon laws in some states. However, in order for your vehicle to qualify as a lemon your car would need to meet the definition according to the laws in your state of Florida. I suggest you research Florida's lemon laws before your warranty expires to see if it meets the threshold.

 

[William13]

Leak in air suspension, bubbles in screen with leaking juice, drivers window regulator broke (there may be relation to the original style retracting door handle malfunction, towing, and replacement), and airbag from Tocatta needing replaced at five years due to explosion risk.

I will say that the pace of repairs is slowing down. Tesla has always been good to me. The car still looks brand new with 70,000 miles and nearly five years.

 

[Mike K]

Tough crowd here. I too had an early production car I would call a lemon. It was in 5 times for the tire pressure system before they retrofitted to a new system. It had the drive unit replaced, several pieces of trim, a couple sunroof seals, trunk struts and motor, a recurring key issue in which the car would tell me the key battery was low for months on end.

It was all covered under warranty but I too got to the point where my warranty was up and I straight up told Tesla that I did that trust the car out of warranty. So I can 100% empathize with loving a car you hate and postponing dealing with the problem in front of you until you're forced to... for example: when the warranty is about to expire.

For me the solution was getting a 2015 P85D and ditching my 5xxx VIN 2013. I've had few problems with my 2015 and none that have recurred like they did in the 2013.

OP, you don't have a lemon; you just have an unreliable car. By those standards literally everyone driving a BMW made after 2010 is driving a lemon. ;-)

It's unfair to seek recourse at this point. Acknowledge what the car is and isn't, determine if it's going to make sense to keep it and then make a decision. Personally I would go in there with a laundry list and tell them exactly what you need fixed. For most of the common issues the parts you're getting are better than what's coming out. So theoretically you wouldn't be dealing with the same problems again and again.

 

[hpartsch]

Perhaps you can help me.
I have a 2013 Model S and have had more problems with it, than any other car I have EVER owned.
My warranty is nearly out, and I am hesitant to purchase the $4000 extended plan, because Tesla told me “It does not cover the Little Things.” whatever that means. I really enjoy the car, but can’t justify keeping it under the current circumstances.
I ran into another early adapter, who was having a lot of similar problems, and Tesla sold him a newer model at a price so low, he had to sign a form, agreeing not to disclose the price he paid.
I messaged Elon on his Facebook account, but never received a response. Do you know what I can do and where to go to in order to get some satisfaction?

Do a simple search for lemon law. You likely no longer qualify due to time limits.

 

[mccready]

Tough crowd here. I too had an early production car I would call a lemon. It was in 5 times for the tire pressure system before they retrofitted to a new system. It had the drive unit replaced, several pieces of trim, a couple sunroof seals, trunk struts and motor, a recurring key issue in which the car would tell me the key battery was low for months on end.

It was all covered under warranty but I too got to the point where my warranty was up and I straight up told Tesla that I did that trust the car out of warranty. So I can 100% empathize with loving a car you hate and postponing dealing with the problem in front of you until you're forced to... for example: when the warranty is about to expire.

For me the solution was getting a 2015 P85D and ditching my 5xxx VIN 2013. I've had few problems with my 2015 and none that have recurred like they did in the 2013.

OP, you don't have a lemon; you just have an unreliable car. By those standards literally everyone driving a BMW made after 2010 is driving a lemon. ;-)

It's unfair to seek recourse at this point. Acknowledge what the car is and isn't, determine if it's going to make sense to keep it and then make a decision. Personally I would go in there with a laundry list and tell them exactly what you need fixed. For most of the common issues the parts you're getting are better than what's coming out. So theoretically you wouldn't be dealing with the same problems again and again.

Thank you for you reply. I was hoping TESLA would do something for me, since the warranty is close to expiring and I have had so many problems, like throw in an extended warranty at no additional charge. It's been my experience that it is not usually worth buying an extended warranty, because most cars don't have a lot of issues, but this one does.
* Problems with the sunroof, several trips
* Door seals
* DC to DC, converter
* Bubbles in the display
* Hatch leaking to the point the locking motor was submerged and now it makes noises, that they won't replace it.
* Several rattles, that still aren't fixed
* Charge port light ring LEDs
* Door wind regulator
* Liftgate
* Glovebox latch broken
* Noisy AC
* Plastic piece on steering wheel broke and I had to call corporate, because the local repair center would not fix it
* Panoramic sun roof opens by itself, from time to time. This was never fixed.
* 12V battery went bad
* Noisy windshield wipers. Still not fixed
* Rear seat squeaked
* Rear headrest foam collapsed
* Door handle assembly needed to be replaced

I think under the circumstances, it would be reasonable for them to throw in an extended warranty, don't you?

 

[cgiGuy]

There's also a 2-year extended warranty option that doesn't cost $4K.

 

[demundus]

I have a 2013, long since out of warranty with plenty of issues that were fixed and are no more. I have over 100k miles on it, and a 3x drivetrain replacement. I suggest you look into what it means to have a lemon, ACTUALLY have a lemon, not have an early model car with quality issues. I have been frustrated with Tesla as much as I have been delighted with them. Same as any car manufacturer...

Here's the list of your issues, some of which I've had too, several times over:

* Problems with the sunroof, several trips - known and common. SVC has a fix, several trips? was this before they developed a fix?
* Door seals - i have door seal issues as well, but what does it mean to have "issues" here?
* DC to DC, converter - not common, im sure it was fixed promptly right?
* Bubbles in the display - common, fixed under warranty i assume? they've since developed a much cheaper fix if you were out of warranty
* Hatch leaking to the point the locking motor was submerged and now it makes noises, that they won't replace it. - a motor makes noises? isnt that normal?
* Several rattles, that still aren't fixed - rattles in pre 2014s are pretty common. I've got them too, your car is almost 4 years old now...
* Charge port light ring LEDs - very common, and easily fixed
* Door wind regulator - happens on alot of cars, did they fix it? did it happen again?
* Liftgate - what about it?
* Glovebox latch broken - sounds like wear and tear but ill give you this one, assume they fixed it as well?
* Noisy AC - all the AC's are noisy, there's a "fix" to wrap it with some sound proofing around the compressor. consider that since you have no engine noise like in an ICE so you'll hear that kinda stuff more.
* Plastic piece on steering wheel broke and I had to call corporate, because the local repair center would not fix it - thats weird, you can keep this one, hope they fixed it?
* Panoramic sun roof opens by itself, from time to time. This was never fixed. - i can only chuckle at this sorry
* 12V battery went bad - model s eats 12v batteries every 2ish years
* Noisy windshield wipers. Still not fixed - this is normal
* Rear seat squeaked - build quality, fixed in later cars
* Rear headrest foam collapsed - what does this mean exactly?
* Door handle assembly needed to be replaced - very common, fixed under warranty... i even got a goodwill out of warranty once

Thank you for you reply. I was hoping TESLA would do something for me, since the warranty is close to expiring and I have had so many problems, like throw in an extended warranty at no additional charge. It's been my experience that it is not usually worth buying an extended warranty, because most cars don't have a lot of issues, but this one does.

I think under the circumstances, it would be reasonable for them to throw in an extended warranty, don't you?

 

[BrettS]

I think under the circumstances, it would be reasonable for them to throw in an extended warranty, don't you?

I suppose it might be nice of them to do so as a goodwill gesture, but I don’t think it should be expected and frankly I doubt they would. Keep in mind that issues reported before the warranty expires and parts replaced shortly before the warranty expires will still be covered for some time after the warranty ends. So you need to go in with all of your current issues and make sure that they have been reported and noted on the account.

Don’t mention the parts that were fixed and are no longer a problem... that will just make you sound needy and confuse things, but be certain to mention everything that is currently an issue. If they fix the problem and the same thing happens 3 months later then that will still be covered even if the warranty has failed. If you report a problem and they say they can’t reproduce it or that it’s not something they can fix and then it fails entirely three months later that will still be covered even after the warranty expires because you reported it while the warranty was still in effect.

Obviously this won’t help if you have a new problem a year after the warranty expires, but it may help give you some piece of mind for any current issues that you have. If you are afraid that you will continue to have new issues then it’s probably time to replace the car or bite the bullet and get the extended warranty.