Plaid Owners PSA: Ifhate the Yoke/Turn Signals/Horn, please complain to the NHTSA

[CapeOne]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. MS sales are down right now (only around 9,275 were delivered worldwide in Q3, and maybe 2,700 of those were in the U.S.) but the industry is also dealing with material and supply chain issues so it's tough to say how much of the decline may be due to people turned off by the yoke steering. I have my concerns and doubts about the yoke but think it’s too early to consider it a “success” or “failure" at this point.

 

[Hank42]

If the horn is available to your thumb, you can maintain both hands on the wheel when using the horn. This can be helpful if someone veers into your lane and you may need to swerve to avoid them. If you have smash the center of the wheel to use the horn with one hand, you're only able to use one hand to steer, and it's not in a great position to do so.

Of course the tradeoff with thumb buttons is not being able to find the horn while already in a turn.

Having horn buttons at the thumbs is not a Tesla first. Hondas and Mazdas from the 90s and early 00s had buttons as well:


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Don't forget about Renault who had the horn on the stalk!

 

[FunSecured]

Lol…Demand for the refreshed S and X is off the charts and just last night another 5K increase appeared, along with crazy extended wait times.

While it’s true supply chain is related, Tesla made quite clear, as recently as the quarterly meeting earlier this week, that they are taken aback actually by the level of demand!

The number of S has been restricted by the beginnings of the ramp and part availability. While they’re now ramping up the S, they can only sell what cars they can actually complete. That’s a parts / chain issue… not a demand issue.

Don’t hold your breath (in wondering whether the S or X will sell)…

Prices aren’t going to be repeatedly raised if the market won’t bear it (if demand is insufficient to overcome price point).

 

[drift]

Don't forget about Renault who had the horn on the stalk!

It wasn't only Renault, lots of manufacturers have moved the horn to buttons or stalks at one time or another, but if you haven't noticed they all use the center of the wheel now. There are safety reasons for that. Tesla isn' the first to consider using a yoke, but you will notice how many cars have them. There are reasons for that too. Proper ergonomic engineering doesn't require the driver to adapt or get use to a system.

 

[roblab]

Maybe some folks would not be so bent out of shape if they'd quit using the horn so much. There's really little need, if one can simply back off and take life easy while driving, and it would result in significant reduction of noise pollution. Using the horn is like yelling at someone. Sure, they recognize you, but it makes the yeller sound like a jerk.

I have not used my horn at all in a decade of driving Teslas, and I'm an aggressive, impatient driver, though I try not to be. The last time I was tempted was when a pickup hauling sand had his wheelbarrow catch the wind at 60 mph and sail off the sand pile directly at me. I dodged, and then drove up beside him trying to motion that he'd lost something, but he wouldn't look my way. I don't believe using the horn would have convinced him to pull over.

 

[FunSecured]

It wasn't only Renault, lots of manufacturers have moved the horn to buttons or stalks at one time or another, but if you haven't noticed they all use the center of the wheel now. There are safety reasons for that. Tesla isn' the first to consider using a yoke, but you will notice how many cars have them. There are reasons for that too. Proper ergonomic engineering doesn't require the driver to adapt or get use to a system.

Let’s watch the sales of the S over time and then feel free to get back.

For now…I’m off to my AM and driving the refreshed S WITH the Yoke and…Loving it!

 

[CapeOne]

Lol…Demand for the refreshed S and X is off the charts and just last night another 5K increase appeared

Off the charts? Worldwide Q3 "traditional steering wheel" M3/MY deliveries may be off the charts (up 87% versus Q3 last year) but it's a different picture for the MS which is disappointing especially for a new/refresh model.

Even after the latest $5k price increase and with ongoing limited inventories among automakers, the base price of the new MS LR is still lower than what the inflation adjusted base price (including federal tax credit deduction) of an MS 100D was three years ago. Also, the price increase did not include Plaid.

 

[Hank42]

Maybe some folks would not be so bent out of shape if they'd quit using the horn so much. There's really little need, if one can simply back off and take life easy while driving, and it would result in significant reduction of noise pollution. Using the horn is like yelling at someone. Sure, they recognize you, but it makes the yeller sound like a jerk.

I have not used my horn at all in a decade of driving Teslas, and I'm an aggressive, impatient driver, though I try not to be. The last time I was tempted was when a pickup hauling sand had his wheelbarrow catch the wind at 60 mph and sail off the sand pile directly at me. I dodged, and then drove up beside him trying to motion that he'd lost something, but he wouldn't look my way. I don't believe using the horn would have convinced him to pull over.

Horns are useless anyway. 8 years ago, I watched, in painful slow motion, while someone was backing into my new Model S. I was stationary, had a car behind me and could not move - I leaned on the horn for a solid 15 seconds until "bump". The other driver was yelling at me when she realized she had hit me. $30K of damage to my S straight to her insurance. So yeah, horns are ineffective, even when used appropriately. I'd say the maybe the only thing was it drew attention to witnesses who saw the whole thing which put her at fault.

 

[jabloomf1230]

This thread aged well. Now one the all-time Tesla haters, Missy Cummings, has been hired by NHTSA as a "senior safety advisor". I wonder if she will personally handle the inquiries generated by this thread?

 

[FunSecured]

Off the charts? Worldwide Q3 "traditional steering wheel" M3/MY deliveries may be off the charts (up 87% versus Q3 last year) but it's a different picture for the MS which is disappointing especially for a new/refresh model.

Even after the latest $5k price increase and with ongoing limited inventories among automakers, the base price of the new MS LR is still lower than what the inflation adjusted base price (including federal tax credit deduction) of an MS 100D was three years ago. Also, the price increase did not include Plaid.

Think as you will. I’ll just love my S, HODL all my shares, watch the stock continue to move past ATH’s and will know there are reasons S and X sales have been down over past months and those reasons are super simple: supply chain, Refresh delays. the ramp itself, etc…

To your other comment, I don’t perceive Tesla’s objective is to make the vehicle as expensive as is possible and therefore, if at a lower overall price point, that this then is indicative of a lower trending take rate. At all.

Part of their strategy seems to be to leverage efficiencies and economies of scale so cars can indeed, be sold at a lower price point, but still maintain great margins and better build/performance, but for less $.

While supply chain issues have impeded this a bit..think that IS part of their grand design. More car for less money overall. That IS what occurred with my Refreshed S!

Elon also made clear in multiple instances that their model doesn’t project S or X as their large volume products or their primary focus and that, by design, they’re intentioned to be lower production volume cars in favor of the higher production volume for 3 and Y.

Anyway…

 

[TessP100D]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. MS sales are down right now (only around 9,275 were delivered worldwide in Q3, and maybe 2,700 of those were in the U.S.) but the industry is also dealing with material and supply chain issues so it's tough to say how much of the decline may be due to people turned off by the yoke steering. I have my concerns and doubts about the yoke but think it’s too early to consider it a “success” or “failure" at this point.

I doubt new to Tesla buyers will pull the trigger on the stupid yoke. It’s for fanboys only.

 

[ucmndd]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. MS sales are down right now (only around 9,275 were delivered worldwide in Q3, and maybe 2,700 of those were in the U.S.)

Eh? Has Tesla started delivering ANY refreshed MS outside the US? That’s news to me. Edit: looks like they’re just now hitting Canada.

With new orders currently predicting delivery September of next year, I sure don’t think it’s a demand / yoke issue.

 

[Duke846]

I doubt new to Tesla buyers will pull the trigger on the stupid yoke. It’s for fanboys only.

Good!

 

[MP3Mike]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. MS sales are down right now (only around 9,275 were delivered worldwide in Q3, and maybe 2,700 of those were in the U.S.) but the industry is also dealing with material and supply chain issues so it's tough to say how much of the decline may be due to people turned off by the yoke steering. I have my concerns and doubts about the yoke but think it’s too early to consider it a “success” or “failure" at this point.

Probably 90%+ of them were delivered in the US, as only a few have been delivered outside of the US. (Only to Canada.) No other country has gotten any.

And it isn't like they are building up inventory, they are selling them faster than they can make them. (The waiting period is getting longer and longer.)

 

[CapeOne]

Probably 90%+ of them were delivered in the US, as only a few have been delivered outside of the US. (Only to Canada.) No other country has gotten any.

And it isn't like they are building up inventory, they are selling them faster than they can make them. (The waiting period is getting longer and longer.)

They're not necessarily building up inventory but few if any manufactures have been in a position of building up much inventory this year. It's far from a normal market situation right now. However, there have been Tesla customers reporting MS estimated delivery dates being moved up PLUS a number of new inventory LR and Plaid cars have been popping up on and off for a few months which allowed for quick/immediate deliveries. Plenty of deliveries have been happening faster than waiting periods suggest. As I posted before, I think it’s too early to consider the yoke a “success” or “failure" at this point.

 

[jboy210]

Horns are useless anyway. 8 years ago, I watched, in painful slow motion, while someone was backing into my new Model S. I was stationary, had a car behind me and could not move - I leaned on the horn for a solid 15 seconds until "bump". The other driver was yelling at me when she realized she had hit me. $30K of damage to my S straight to her insurance. So yeah, horns are ineffective, even when used appropriately. I'd say the maybe the only thing was it drew attention to witnesses who saw the whole thing which put her at fault.

You mean your horn was useless. Get an airhorn from a semi that blasts through the earpods to the driver's ears. There is a reason that trucks have these things.

 

[Philip1962]

Can you please explain to me how it makes sense in your alternate reality to have a touch button for the horn that rotates at the same time as the wheel? If someone is cutting you off and you have to swerve to avoid hitting them, how are you going to find the horn when the steering wheel isn't straight anymore? Do I really have to explain this to you?

The horn should be in the middle and should not move, period. Turn signals are also silly and your thumb can't reach the right signal fast enough. This is the general consensus among most owners whether you like it or not. Even MKBHD (huge Elon fanboy) can't get himself to like them.

I just hope you don't run into a situation where you can actually need to activate your horn in an emergency. This is how lives are lost.

It's sad to see so many brainwashed folks.

Nobody could have said it better. After 40 years of driving and more than 1,000,000 on my back, having the luck and blessing of driving high performance cars in the last few years, I accident killed a cat in y street driving at 19 mph. The horn placement is totally totally ridiculous. This is not a race car that the driver will have the hands at the 9-3 position all the time. This is a sedan that someone would possibly take for a nice long weekend drive with family. Would anyone want to discuss reversing in a garage with the body half turned and one hand on the wheel?

 

[Duke846]

Nobody could have said it better. After 40 years of driving and more than 1,000,000 on my back, having the luck and blessing of driving high performance cars in the last few years, I accident killed a cat in y street driving at 19 mph. The horn placement is totally totally ridiculous. This is not a race car that the driver will have the hands at the 9-3 position all the time. This is a sedan that someone would possibly take for a nice long weekend drive with family. Would anyone want to discuss reversing in a garage with the body half turned and one hand on the wheel?

It’s why I didn’t buy the car. (Yoke)

 

[theslimshadyist]

I've had my car for about 3.5 months and I love the yoke. In fact, I cancelled my first order because I was hell bent against it. You couldn't pay me to go back to a round steering wheel with stalks but that's just me. It's like taking away my iPhone and Samsung in 2022 and replacing it with the OG Blackberry. No thank you!

 

[TessP100D]

I've had my car for about 3.5 months and I love the yoke. In fact, I cancelled my first order because I was hell bent against it. You couldn't pay me to go back to a round steering wheel with stalks but that's just me. It's like taking away my iPhone and Samsung in 2022 and replacing it with the OG Blackberry. No thank you!

Lol. Yea right.