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Tesla ext. service agreement NIGHTMARE. Hey say driver electronic seat function is a wear & tear

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My driver side seat recline function is broken. Most of the time it doesn’t move or moves in very small increments, like ¼ inch. They’re saying to fix the issue will cost $3200 + $75 for labor.

I read the fine print in the ESA, there’s no mention of this being on the exclusion list. They said they determined the ESA won’t cover according to an internal only document. So they’re basically saying the ESA I signed is bogus and that there’s another document they use to determine what to cover and what not to cover—which customers are not privy to seeing. Wtf Lawyer up?
 
If you have exhausted all contact avenues in Tesla including the executive review option on your My Tesla, then it might be time for other action. I have heard you do get quickly mucked up in beaurocracy with Tesla as soon as you involve a lawyer, so maybe taking them to small claims court for breach of contract might be an option? They are disorganized enough that you might be able to get an easy default judgement that way.
 
If you have exhausted all contact avenues in Tesla including the executive review option on your My Tesla, then it might be time for other action. I have heard you do get quickly mucked up in beaurocracy with Tesla as soon as you involve a lawyer, so maybe taking them to small claims court for breach of contract might be an option? They are disorganized enough that you might be able to get an easy default judgement that way.

I think the executive review feature is gone. At least, I can't find it on my account, anymore.

It does sound like Tesla has left the OP with little choice. I think the next step is to have a lawyer write a letter to Tesla's legal department. I think (hope) Tesla will do the right thing.
 
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My driver side seat recline function is broken. Most of the time it doesn’t move or moves in very small increments, like ¼ inch. They’re saying to fix the issue will cost $3200 + $75 for labor.

I read the fine print in the ESA, there’s no mention of this being on the exclusion list. They said they determined the ESA won’t cover according to an internal only document. So they’re basically saying the ESA I signed is bogus and that there’s another document they use to determine what to cover and what not to cover—which customers are not privy to seeing. Wtf Lawyer up?


Since you're in the Bay Area, maybe try talking to a few other service centers? They have some leeway, so maybe another service center might be more willing to fix it.
 
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My driver side seat recline function is broken. Most of the time it doesn’t move or moves in very small increments, like ¼ inch. They’re saying to fix the issue will cost $3200 + $75 for labor.

It is all motors or just one or two directions?

This is most likely a failure of the Hall-Effect sensors used to track the seat position. When the signal is lost or not present, the seat controller (or MCU most likely) can’t tell if the seat is actually moving. To prevent it from damaging itself, it goes into “limp mode” (possibly). This allows the seat to move a little bit at a time. I would expect this to most likely be a bad connection.

It’s my best guess, anyway.

It’s not wear and tear. That’s just utter BS.
 
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My driver side seat recline function is broken. Most of the time it doesn’t move or moves in very small increments, like ¼ inch. They’re saying to fix the issue will cost $3200 + $75 for labor.

I read the fine print in the ESA, there’s no mention of this being on the exclusion list. They said they determined the ESA won’t cover according to an internal only document. So they’re basically saying the ESA I signed is bogus and that there’s another document they use to determine what to cover and what not to cover—which customers are not privy to seeing. Wtf Lawyer up?
Make sure you report back with an update after getting this resolved, as there are quite a few of us who have yet to decide whether the ESA is worth buying.
 
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My driver side seat recline function is broken. Most of the time it doesn’t move or moves in very small increments, like ¼ inch. They’re saying to fix the issue will cost $3200 + $75 for labor.

I read the fine print in the ESA, there’s no mention of this being on the exclusion list. They said they determined the ESA won’t cover according to an internal only document. So they’re basically saying the ESA I signed is bogus and that there’s another document they use to determine what to cover and what not to cover—which customers are not privy to seeing. Wtf Lawyer up?

Absolutely, sue them. It's covered by the extended service agreement, and they're just full of *sugar*.

Generally the only way to get Tesla's attention is to sue them. Ask for punitive damages while you're at it. You'll get them.

Others are correct, if you go to another service center you may get the warranty repair you are OWED. I'd also tweet this directly to Musk since he surely doesn't want his company illegally violating their warranty obligations.
 
Absolutely, sue them. It's covered by the extended service agreement, and they're just full of *sugar*.

Generally the only way to get Tesla's attention is to sue them. Ask for punitive damages while you're at it. You'll get them.

Others are correct, if you go to another service center you may get the warranty repair you are OWED. I'd also tweet this directly to Musk since he surely doesn't want his company illegally violating their warranty obligations.
While I agree that you are in the right to have them fix it, I won’t sue them as the next action. While you will likely eventually win, it is going to take a lot of time and perhaps expense (even if it will be reimbursed).

Have the service center give you a written denial of service, make sure their service manager signs off on it. Then forward that to corp / Elon via Twitter. That should light a fire and get them to change their practice not just for you but for everyone else.
 
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While I agree that you are in the right to have them fix it, I won’t sue them as the next action. While you will likely eventually win, it is going to take a lot of time and perhaps expense (even if it will be reimbursed).

Have the service center give you a written denial of service, make sure their service manager signs off on it. Then forward that to corp / Elon via Twitter. That should light a fire and get them to change their practice not just for you but for everyone else.

Good advice. You'll want that if you sue them anyway.
 
Since you're in the Bay Area, maybe try talking to a few other service centers? They have some leeway, so maybe another service center might be more willing to fix it.

I'd agree with this one. I've swung by the Dublin one a couple of times and they seem very friendly (I even asked a couple of questions of the service folks, and they made time to have an advisor come out to meet me).
 
Thank you all for your input on this issue, I successfully got Tesla to install a new driver seat with no additional charge covered under warranty. San Francisco Tesla service center originally told me a new seat would not be covered, I then took it to Burlingame and they said it would be covered, so I made an appointment with them ... about a week later I got a call from San Francisco saying that they would cover it now and that they ordered the part and will install it in the next couple of weeks. I picked up my car today and everything works and the seat is brand new

What’s odd however is that they put 25 miles on my car for some reason. And if I’m reading this consumption graph correctly it looks like someone was really driving my car hard. What do you guys think? See pics
 

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