So just how reliable is the Model S?

[Denarius]

I've had no reliability issues in 10,000 miles so far. The problem with using the forums to gauge this kind of stuff is people come here to complain about problems and find solutions, people aren't starting a thread every time their car works perfectly.

Bottom line, my Model S is the best car I've ever owned and I don't think you'll have any regrets either.

 

[stopcrazypp]

The problem with using the forums to gauge this kind of stuff is people come here to complain about problems and find solutions, people aren't starting a thread every time their car works perfectly.

I agree. Consumer reports is probably the best source for reliability data at this point (they survey about 600 Model S owners about problems using a consistent method).

 

[Discoducky]

Not sure there is a such a thing as "tesla anxiety"?...my family could not be safer or in better hands that with the Model S. We'll be driving down to Palm Springs again from Seattle with two kids and it is Supercharging all the way baby!

1. Not common at all but if it happened to you a replacement P85+ is made available and there is no cost to you.
2. Car communicates it needs a replacement to Tesla and they let you know well before it goes out. Again, no cost and they come to you to repair.
3. If worried about this check your tire wear at about 2K, but this issue seems to be very rare as this is forum for enthusiasts and not many have had the issue.
4. Tesla started using new door handles about 4 months ago I believe and there are less issues. But again, Tesla comes to you and you get a P85+ loaner.

Also, I've had my 60kWh for nearly a year, had the 12V replaced but no other issues that we needed a loaner for or that caused a trip to the service center. Car has 16K miles and just got a clean bill of health from the yearly service.

With two days to go to finalize my order I’m finding myself experiencing a case of “tesla anxiety”. After spending several hours each day last week reading the forums and Tesla blogs I started getting worried about the seemingly large number of owners experiencing all sorts of mechanical failures. At this point I’m in need of some reassurance (and hopefully this is just the place to get it :smile. The main reason for my anxiety is simple -- my primary justification for purchasing a MS is the fact that this car should be significantly more reliable and cheaper to own then a traditional ICE car. I drive roughly 25,000 miles per year and for me to justify the purchase of this car the plan is to keep it for 8-10 years. With that said:
1. Do we know specifically how common it is for a MS to need a replacement drive unit similar to the experience of the Edmunds.com long term test car (and a number of folks from the Mechanical Issues thread here)? I realize this is not a problem while most of us are under warranty but my guess is that a “replacement” drive unit out of warranty is going to set the owner back anywhere between 5K and 10K for parts and labor (if anyone here has specific pricing on this I would love to know what it is). Given the number of failures we’re seeing in relatively new cars I can’t help but wonder what this means for those of us who plan to keep this car long term past the warranty of the car. By contrast, motor failures are extremely rare for ICE cars nowadays and even when things go wrong it’s very rare to see the whole motor replaced.
2. There seems to be a large number of cars experiencing a problem with the 12v battery not charging. While this does not seem like a huge deal on the surface, it does not look like this has been fully addressed by Tesla yet and experiencing this problem leaves the MS owner essentially stranded by the side of the road in need of a tow.
3. It seems that there is some defect causing the rear wheel alignment to eventually creep way out of spec. I have a friend who bought a P85 in the spring of 2013 and by the time he hit 8K miles his rear tires were down to the threads. His experience was pretty much identical to that of the Edmunds.com long term test car. Tesla did re-align his car for free but they refused to pay for the replacement tires.
4. There seems to be a large number of misc. failures around the door handles and power window mechanisms.

In the end my main question is whether these are problems that a large number of owners encounter? I realize that we’re all much more likely to find people posting of things going wrong so I’d love to hear from folks who have a relatively trouble free ownership experience.

 

[ToddRLockwood]

12,500 miles. Absolutely no issues that kept me from driving it. I had two very minor warranty repairs, both of which involved issues that have since been corrected on the assembly line, so you won't experience them. This is the most service-free new car experience I've ever had.

 

[bareyb]

I started a similar thread when I was in the buying process too. I ended up buying and I've never regretted it. I had the GPS positioning problem, but the latest software update seems to have fixed it. Beyond that, it's been a great car and so much fun to own! It's fun to wax it too, it's got great paint.

Today we are taking a little road trip over the hill to Aptos to check on our Beach House. Normally I wouldn't be able to get BOTH kids to come, but since we got the Tesla, no problem. They are presently bugging me to "lets go!". It's gonna be fun.

 

[Al Sherman]

Had I known in advance these issues would arise I still would have bought the car. The driving experience is simply the best, period. No ICE car can compare and for that reason alone, the MS is the best car purchase I ever made.

^^^This^^^

Love the car. Wouldn't go back to ICE for anything.

AND ^^^This^^^

I drive much fewer miles than you, and I drive like an old man. I've always seen cars as a way to get from point A to point B. Not so with this car. It's simply a stunning achievement. I can't wait to drive it every day. I still look for excuses to drive it. I've never felt this way about any vehicle. I hope to never buy an ICE again. I've had the pano roof creak, and the 12 volt issue. Both were fixed correctly and promptly. The whole experience is new, and fantastic.
Who's to know if the company is out of the woods yet, or what our drive trains will be doing in 8 years? My car is 4 times more expensive than any vehicle I've ever owned. I know that in 9 months I've already gotten my money's worth. Cost of driving is clearly much less expensive without question. Cost of ownership? Who knows? Maybe, maybe not in the long run.
What I DO know now is that I feel lucky to be able to own/drive this car.
As a practical matter, folks can argue all day about ICE vs EV. However, I'm positive that there isn't another car on the planet that can make me feel this good (and proud) about ownership.

Please let us know what you decide either way.

 

[jerry33]

Right Al, I'd never buy another ICE car. You just can't go back once you've driven electric.

 

[bareyb]

Just got back from Aptos and omg, what an awesome car to take "over the hill" on 17. I don't think I had to use the brakes once the whole way. Makes for a very relaxing drive… I really, really, love this car! When I have to drive my wife's Sienna, it does indeed feel "like a jalopy".

 

[Btrflyl8e]

Coming up on 9,000 miles in 6 months. Not a single problem for me at all. I did have a random problem with the charge port door sticking, but it was easy to manually assist. So minor I forgot to have them shim it when I had the tires rotated. Now it seems it's worked itself out since it hasn't happened in ages.

Best.Car.Ever.

 

[trils0n]

Over 7000 miles on my car so far, no issues, except for minor squeaks and rattles that the service center fixed, and an alignment at 6k miles when I got my tires rotated. Love my car more and more every day.

 

[roblab]

30,000 miles. You can never be sure you will arrive.

But it is sure fun to get out there and try. And Tesla fixes everything. For Free.

The only time I was irritated with them was when they wanted me to use a gas car rental while mine was in the shop. The NERVE!!

 

[scourge]

Find another justification as there isn't enough data to support your primary justification for purchasing a MS: "the MS should be significantly more reliable and cheaper to own then a traditional ICE car."

I am coming up on my one year anniversary and have logged 28.5k miles to date. I have both the extended warranty and prepaid service plan. Other than the door handle issue, I have pretty much experienced all the other issues mentioned on this forum: main battery pack, 12v battery, drive train, pano roof creak, excessive tire wear to name a few, all repaired or replaced under warranty. And here is the important point I want to make: Had I known in advance these issues would arise I still would have bought the car. The driving experience is simply the best, period. No ICE car can compare and for that reason alone, the MS is the best car purchase I ever made.

Have faith Tesla will use the warranty period to make right the issues as they present themselves; you will have a great driver's car still in your 8-10 year time frame of car ownership. Perhaps set aside a small reserve in the first few years to cover unexpected repairs in the car's later years. From the experience I have had to date, I wouldn't go into the purchase thinking the MS is going to be significantly cheaper to operate.

Tommy,

Interesting comments. I am somewhat curious about the driving experience. I certainly agree that the MS is an impressive car but at the same time I'm not sure why you feel that "No ICE car can compare". Having test-driven every Telsa variant I can honestly say that an M5, and this is just one example of several I can name like an Audi S7/RS7 etc..., can very much compare. In my opinion these ICE's are all, objectively better cars (in terms of performance, fit and finish as well as some good safety features/creature comforts like collision avoidance, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise etc. that are missing in the MS) for roughly the same money as MS. Where they all become cost prohibitive for someone like myself who drives a lot is in their cost to operate (gas, service, consumables like breaks/tires). To me this seemed like the one area where the MS clearly wins yet you seem to say that's not the case (and based on your experience it's difficult to disagree). Am I missing something that drove you to pick the MS over the others?

 

[purplewalt]

S85 owner here, 8,500+ miles since mid-June.
I have never driven a car this much or had this much fun LEARNING about it, and all the other associated facets of existing and developing technologies.

Please don't expect it to be like any other car you have ever owned or driven, because it is better is so many ways: you TOO will have the opportunity to learn new things.
Yes, I have had my car in Service Center for a couple of things: both the front and rear of the car are low, and long.
(I do hope you have ordered the adjustable air suspension, because encounters with high curbs and railroad ties were the reasons I brought it to the Service Center.)
They have also rotated my tires twice, and discovered and resolved a weeping seal on the rear axle differential (pro-active care, it was not even leaking).
SC allowed me to use a P85+ and a P85 as loaners (both were awesome cars).
I have both the extended warranty and service plan, plan to keep the car at least 8 years, maybe longer.

I feel blessed and very fortunate that I have had the opportunity to buy the car, and enjoy it as much as I do.

The reports are true: Best CAR of 2013.
Not best Electric Car, BEST CAR, hands down, unanimous decision.

I don't know of any other car I would want to drive.
And I can not see myself going backward to owning an ICE.
Ever.

 

[Zythryn]

Tommy,

Interesting comments. I am somewhat curious about the driving experience. I certainly agree that the MS is an impressive car but at the same time I'm not sure why you feel that "No ICE car can compare". ...

While I am not Tommy, I feel the same way. I'll not speak for Tommy, but will try to put into words why I feel that way.

After logging 29,000 miles between two Model S, and driving/test driving many competitors, I find non of them can come close to comparing to the drive experience.

The throttle in the MS is instantly responsive, while also giving an incredible amount of fine control (especially with creep off and regen on standard). There are no valves to open, turbo to wind up, sweet spot in the rpm bands to seek. All the torque and power is there, starting from a standstill or passing on a freeway, or cruising.

This level of control and responsiveness is simply not found in inefficient ICE based cars.

Now, if you are looking for toys such as massaging seats, or features such as a HUD (which I personally love) or lane keeping assist or adaptive cruise control, you won't find them yet. So if those are more important that the driving experience, the MS may not be for you yet.

For me, the sheer joy of my day to day driving far exceeds the lack of a few options. And in the next year as they add more of these, I may just upgrade, although some options get added through the over the air software updates, I am sure some will require hardware.

 

[Cal1]

1. Do we know specifically how common it is for a MS to need a replacement drive unit similar to the experience of the Edmunds.com long term test car (and a number of folks from the Mechanical Issues thread here)? I realize this is not a problem while most of us are under warranty but my guess is that a “replacement” drive unit out of warranty is going to set the owner back anywhere between 5K and 10K for parts and labor (if anyone here has specific pricing on this I would love to know what it is). Given the number of failures we’re seeing in relatively new cars I can’t help but wonder what this means for those of us who plan to keep this car long term past the warranty of the car. By contrast, motor failures are extremely rare for ICE cars nowadays and even when things go wrong it’s very rare to see the whole motor replaced.
2. There seems to be a large number of cars experiencing a problem with the 12v battery not charging. While this does not seem like a huge deal on the surface, it does not look like this has been fully addressed by Tesla yet and experiencing this problem leaves the MS owner essentially stranded by the side of the road in need of a tow.
3. It seems that there is some defect causing the rear wheel alignment to eventually creep way out of spec. I have a friend who bought a P85 in the spring of 2013 and by the time he hit 8K miles his rear tires were down to the threads. His experience was pretty much identical to that of the Edmunds.com long term test car. Tesla did re-align his car for free but they refused to pay for the replacement tires.
4. There seems to be a large number of misc. failures around the door handles and power window mechanisms.

Hate to seem harsh but the things you're citing are pretty small. Take a look at ANY of the forums for the cars you listed and see what type of concerns they have. E.g. Advice: New Engine - BMW M5 Forum and M6 Forums. Not as uncommon as you might think especially with european imports


I owned an M5 for a few years and there were soooo many things that will go wrong it was incredible. Mass air filters, VANOs bank (two each) to name a few. Sold mine shortly after warranty ran out because I knew based on forum feedback what was inevitably going to go bad. It might be prudent to take a good look at the consumer report listing for any of those vehicles you listed. They are not toyotas. Let me tell you about the wife's lexus is350. Probably the most recalled vehicle in toy history. At least if felt like it to me after what seemed like endless visits to fix recall items.

 

[DIL]

OP: Like you I drive ~25K/year. Like you I've been hesitating...

Judging by everything I've learned, the abstract "Tesla angst" is replaced by the very real "Tesla grin" as soon as you take delivery and start driving.

 

[Klaus]

OP: Like you I drive ~25K/year. Like you I've been hesitating...

Judging by everything I've learned, the abstract "Tesla angst" is replaced by the very real "Tesla grin" as soon as you take delivery and start driving.

Hence my avatar and real license plate ... :grin:

 

[xradr]

11 months, 12K+ miles. Reliability has been 100%. Minor fixes for few issues (resolved rapidly). It's been a GREAT car ... best one I've ever owned.

 

[jerry33]

Am I missing something that drove you to pick the MS over the others?

It happens after you've driven it for a month or so. Those other cars seem just so unresponsive while the Model S is more like an extension of your body. A few test drives won't do it. Driving it every day for a while will.

 

[Al Sherman]

It happens after you've driven it for a month or so. Those other cars seem just so unresponsive while the Model S is more like an extension of your body. A few test drives won't do it. Driving it every day for a while will.

Yeah. Not to get weird or anything. A test drive is definitely great and it clearly sells the car more so than a test drive in any other car. When you drive it for a while it starts to feel like a sentient being. Almost as if your two guys working together to get somewhere and have a great time doing it. Like a great pet instead of just a vehicle.

K, I'll shut up before the guys with the butterfly nets get here. :smile: