Possible Class Action Suit - Please Read

[FloridaScott]

I'm looking for several owners that are having issues with paint and interior issues with cars that are out of warranty.

My car a 2015 Model S (even though garaged 100% of the time when not in use) has paint just peeling off the top of the driver side mirror. Additionally my dashboard looks as though it's peeling apart or has a liquid behind the glass. I also needed to replace 2 of the 4 handles that no longer presented.

My warranty by time expired on April 7, 2019 and I'm also over the millage (even though none of these issues are due to wear except maybe the handles, which I paid for, since I couldn't get in the car). Tesla says there is no exception once the warranty expires.

The price of my car was over $80,000. Something tells me, if this was any other high end car manufacturer, 1) This wouldn't have happened as they know how to properly paint and build a car, 2) If it did they would make it right.

If you have had similar issues please contact me and if there are enough of us, I intend on starting a class action suit so all Tesla owners will be protected when/if these manufacturing defects occur on your cars.

I welcome all comments and advise.

 

[FloridaScott]

Check it out

 

[trm2]

Did all of this start after it went out of warranty?

PS. the only people who win in a class-action are the lawyers.

 

[FloridaScott]

Yes, and no, I'm over the mileage but is was less than the 4 years. And I'm aware the lawyers win, but what else can be done, Tesla won't do anything about the issue. I could sue them directly, but then I'll be fronting all the costs. They quoted me $1,200 for the dashboard and gave me the name of an auto body shop for the paint.

 

[golfpilot]

If I notice anything sort of not right on my cars I immediatley let the manufacturer know its an issue and request to have it fixed under warranty. And everytime it gets even a little bit worse I let them know again and ask to have it repaired under warranty again. Did attempt to get these problems fixed before the warranty expired? If not, I hope you lose and have to pay all of Tesla's costs to fight you. If car manufacturers have to start paying for post warranty defects the initial costs of these cars will be unattainable.
Didn't you have an option to buy and extended warranty for a 2015 Model S?

$1200 to fix the screen and you can either paint or wrap the side mirrors. Might cost you another $1200. That is part of the cost of owning a post warranty Tesla.
Or trade it in and get a new car, with a warranty.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

I’d try a different SC in person for the screen, be nice as a Spring day, and ask if they can make an exception. I have had tremendous luck, but always had the attitude that I need their help, and yes it’s out of warranty, but just by x amount etc.

I wouldn’t bother with trying to get them to fix the paint. That shouldn’t be more than $250 at a small shop that does bumper repair type work. It may have failed because it was already repaired/repainted prior to your delivery.

I don’t see a class action happening here.

Based on my S85 ownership, Tesla easily did more than $20,000+ of warranty work while under their legal obligation. Anything I got after that, was gravy and I was grateful. If another door handle or MCU were to fail I wouldn’t like paying for it, but I couldn’t really expect them to either. That’s what was in the contract when I bought it.

 

[FloridaScott]

If I notice anything sort of not right on my cars I immediatley let the manufacturer know its an issue and request to have it fixed under warranty. And everytime it gets even a little bit worse I let them know again and ask to have it repaired under warranty again. Did attempt to get these problems fixed before the warranty expired? If not, I hope you lose and have to pay all of Tesla's costs to fight you. If car manufacturers have to start paying for post warranty defects the initial costs of these cars will be unattainable.
Didn't you have an option to buy and extended warranty for a 2015 Model S?

$1200 to fix the screen and you can either paint or wrap the side mirrors. Might cost you another $1200. That is part of the cost of owning a post warranty Tesla.
Or trade it in and get a new car, with a warranty.

As I mentioned the warranty expired due to mileage not time- However both these issues are not from excessive wear and tear, it's a manufacturing defect and POOR workmanship, it's that simple. This car's cost was over $80,000 and you seriously think the paint job and dashboard shouldn't last for 4 years? Things like the suspension, tires, and even the door handles not presenting, etc that would be caused from high usage, I'm not complaining about. This car was only hand washed and garaged and has never even seen snow or low temperatures. Due to my high mileage usage leasing is not an option, so I purchased it as I do all my vehicles. That turned out to be a bad decision, obviously I should have purchased another high end car and I guarantee this wouldn't have happened. This inferior product means we will ALL take a hit in resale value, you might be fine with that, but I'm not.

 

[Matt Carter]

I would be happy to provide any documentation and information that may be helpful here. We have witnessed all manner of factory defects on the Teslas that have come through our shop.

 

[FloridaScott]

I’d try a different SC in person for the screen, be nice as a Spring day, and ask if they can make an exception. I have had tremendous luck, but always had the attitude that I need their help, and yes it’s out of warranty, but just by x amount etc.

I wouldn’t bother with trying to get them to fix the paint. That shouldn’t be more than $250 at a small shop that does bumper repair type work. It may have failed because it was already repaired/repainted prior to your delivery.

I don’t see a class action happening here.

Based on my S85 ownership, Tesla easily did more than $20,000+ of warranty work while under their legal obligation. Anything I got after that, was gravy and I was grateful. If another door handle or MCU were to fail I wouldn’t like paying for it, but I couldn’t really expect them to either. That’s what was in the contract when I bought it.

I appreciate the comment and I was extremely nice and so was the SC but was told their are no exceptions. With that said, I still find it troubling that any manufacturer would need to spend $20k of "in warranty" work on so many vehicles, this forum is full of such stories. Doesn't that prove my point? Unfortunately the quality of these cars is just not there.

 

[commasign]

The price of my car was over $80,000. Something tells me, if this was any other high end car manufacturer, 1) This wouldn't have happened as they know how to properly paint and build a car, 2) If it did they would make it right.

Sounds like you've never visited other luxury/premium car forums.

 

[glide]

Why didn’t you have these items addressed when it was under warranty?

The screen they should take care of and a mirror cap is like $80 from the service center.

 

[Uncle Paul]

I swore I would never buy another Mercedes for the same reason. Once out of warranty everything seemed to cost double of other cars. The value of used Mercedes drops like a rock when the warranty ends. When they went to water based paints, their longevity went way down until they got a handle on it.

Lucky for Tesla owners is that there are several independant sources for repair parts. Several dismantelers will be happy to sell you take off mirrors and other parts at very reasonable prices compared to Tesla prices.

In addition, many have commented that lately, repair parts from Tesla themselves have dropped in costs. They have also released a series of DIY repairs, complete with GIF video instructions.

Hope you can find a reasonable solution to your after warranty repairs, but demanding that Tesla do things that they have no legal obligation to do and threatening them with a class action lawsuit may not be the way to endearn them to do things for you.

 

[Electroman]

obviously I should have purchased another high end car and I guarantee this wouldn't have happened

But I guarantee you that you will be forced to go the gas station frequently and fill gas in your car. Are you going to sue them for that?

 

[Electroman]

The point I am trying to make here is, when you buy a Tesla you get an amazing electric car with a very good range and a great semi-autonomous driving, but the cosmetic stuff is a hit or a miss.

If paint is more important than the driving characteristics, then buy a smelly gasoline car from BMW. You can admire the paint for a long time while you pump gas and change oil.

 

[AMPd]

I had a 2006 bmw M5 that my grandparents bought me as a gift
60k miles into the ownership the engine blew, rod bearing failure was the reason.
This happened after the 2008 LCI upgrade where the rod bearings which were known to be faulty were upgraded.
My grandpa fought with the dealer for a few months and at the end of the day the car was out of warranty and the dealer was not willing to budge on the cost of the new motor

I feel like you’re in the same boat, you wouldn’t expect the car to have issues so early in its lifespan, but they all do. Car manufacturers/dealerships can’t fix it for you forever. There’s a cutoff and once you’re past it you’re on your own

 

[AMPd]

But I guarantee you that you will be forced to go the gas station frequently and fill gas in your car. Are you going to sue them for that?

I wish we could!
BMW will owe me so much money!

 

[Tiff Zlati]

I'm looking for several owners that are having issues with paint and interior issues with cars that are out of warranty.

My car a 2015 Model S (even though garaged 100% of the time when not in use) has paint just peeling off the top of the driver side mirror. Additionally my dashboard looks as though it's peeling apart or has a liquid behind the glass. I also needed to replace 2 of the 4 handles that no longer presented.

My warranty by time expired on April 7, 2019 and I'm also over the millage (even though none of these issues are due to wear except maybe the handles, which I paid for, since I couldn't get in the car). Tesla says there is no exception once the warranty expires.

The price of my car was over $80,000. Something tells me, if this was any other high end car manufacturer, 1) This wouldn't have happened as they know how to properly paint and build a car, 2) If it did they would make it right.

If you have had similar issues please contact me and if there are enough of us, I intend on starting a class action suit so all Tesla owners will be protected when/if these manufacturing defects occur on your cars.

I welcome all comments and advise.

Hi and what's the latest on your situation? Did you ever get resolution?

I am having interior warranty issues. There's a discolored mark on my driver's seat that is clearly part of the material (squiggly line that goes from seam to seam, center bottom driver's seat). It's completely smooth to the touch with the rest of the material and definitely not something I caused. Plus the mark is fairly uniform in its pattern. I have a model 3 bought new in Nov 2018 (6200 miles) and I've been trying to get resolution for many months. Based on pics I've sent the service center they all tell me it's not covered under warranty. I know this was not caused by an outside factor. If it was anything I did, (spilled or burned etc) how can it be completely smooth with the rest of the material? They are telling me I would have had to mention it at pick up when I purchased it. I believe there was a cover on the seat and I didn't notice it then. I left that protective cover on for a while. Anyways, I'm so frustrated. My experience is that Tesla does not hold themselves accountable to certain warranty matters. I found your thread by searching class action on this page bc I was wondering if other owners had similar experiences.