I feel like I should put things into context here. The problems most people experience are actually quite minor. We Tesla owners are a different bunch, and the type of person who usually reads up and purchases a Tesla isn't "normal" in many ways. We have a perfection attitude to some extent. The early-adopter nature of all of us owners (yes, we are still early adopters of this new tech!) means that some problems concerning the car and service should usually be expected.
I'm a bit conflicted... It is very true that some cars have more/less issues than others. Many of the issues are indeed relatively minor, but some are of a bit more significance. As a brief recap, the issues I've had in just over 1 year of ownership:
Sunroof not opening on first try (periodically) - very minor
door handle failure - minor for me, but depends on what door fails (and your lifestyle... if your kids cant get in the car, even a rear door is a big deal)
Air leak in driver & passenger "windows" - minor, but quite annoying in our winter climate on road trips
Squeaky seat (both from side bolster and bolt issue) - minor, but embarrassing when trying to demonstrate this great car
charge port failure - serious* - there was a workaround, that when finally shared, took it to a minor annoyance level, but until then, being unable to charge is rather crippling
12v battery issues - minor if detected in time - i had a 2 bmws and they needed their 12v batteries replaced every winter or two, but that was easy, take the car in to the local service center <loaner cars even available for those that need them>)
and my newest issue: issue with steering system - apparently I need the upper control arm (I think thats the name) replaced. Doable by ranger (a fair size job). Had it been the lower control arm, it would require the car get shipped back to Vancouver as the battery needs to be removed. - Significant
Maybe I'm the odd car that has 'lots' of problem, I don't know. Up until recently, I very much accepted the issues as part of being an early adopter (but at some point, Tesla won't get that pass from new customers). My main issue isn't the problems the car has, it is the change in policy in dealing with them outside Calgary/areas with service centers. So in just over 3 months I will have had 3 non trivial issues that needed timely ranger service (charge port, 12v battery replacement <this perhaps could have waited, but had it the next issue could have been put off too long resulting in more issues>, and now this steering control arm. Tesla made a concession on my charge port, and I drove the car to calgary (8hr of my time) for the 12v, and i'm unsure what will happen with the steering issue. Either its another 8+hours out of my life driving to calgary (and waiting for likely several hours for that larger repair job), or possibly getting charged the new ranger fee. I think new owners really need to be aware of the servicing and costs/time potentially involved in the Tesla ownership experience.
I really hope the new Calgary service center results in another, favorable change of policy for us owners not in Calgary (of course, a favorable policy change sooner would be fantastic also!!)