What percentage of Model 3s are "lemons"

[RCMorgan]

The forum seems yo be a poor place for a question about lemons. There is an official definition for lemons in CA and information about lemon law buybacks should be publically available.
My guess is that lemon law covers functionality and a Tesla has very few ways to fail. Regarding cosmetic flaws and panel fit, buyers have the option of refusing to take delivery in the event of unacceptable cosmetic flaws.

 

[CertLive]

I would really like to get a Model 3 for my next car.

Reading these forums, I read some horror stories about problems --- small and large -- with build quality and service.

However, all these anecdotes can certainly be misleading because no one ever starts a thread: "Just checking in. No problems with my Model 3!"

So can any one post any information from any reputable source that shows how many Model 3s are lemons, and/or how many have no problems?

Thanks!

Listen I have just read the top post here and I will give you my honest answer to save you the same hassle I went through to the eventual return of the car.

When you go to pickup up that car. Print off one of the good checklists people create for the model 3 to check over. This will give you a good base. Imo do not accept the “ Just book a SC appointment and it will get fixed “ This will lead you down the road of extra wasted time. Insist any picked up issues are sorted before you take it home. From there what goes wrong is in the hands of the gods like all cars. Just insist even pre phone to insure they check the car over before you get it. It is quite ok to take a step back and not take it home that day. Test all functions. Most of all if you get a good example I think you will find it one of the best cars you have driven.

 

[Noodles]

Welp, I took delivery of a SR+ on 9/19. Only had one issue - the B pillar on the drivers side had the incorrect retaining clips installed, so it had a tendency to pop off/come loose. I had service come out and replace the retaining clips, and they did so at no charge since it was covered by the cars warranty.

Otherwise, my car has been issue-free. No scratches, reasonable panel gaps, no missing screws, no missing paint, etc.

My wife and I have put about 1,000 miles on it so far and we've had zero issues.

you have a '19 Tesla with only 1,000 miles on it and you're saying "issue free"?

 

[Noodles]

Getting your BMW lemoned is actually pretty great because the fuel pump fails early and then they can't fix it for a few years but you get it refunded at the value when you first had the problem.

did they keep the car? or replaced?

 

[Daniel in SD]

did they keep the car? or replaced?

The cars were bought back. One of them did lease another BMW though. The others got something else.

 

[Occar]

I would guess the only "real" information would be the JD Powers survey on initial quality. Although even that wasn't a full survey since Tesla didn't allow them to survey customers in 15 states.

2020 Initial Quality Study (IQS)

The JD Power survey is problematic due to what is classified as an issue. The more features a given vehicle has, the larger number of issues they will report. We only need to look at the top of the list (Dodge) to know the value of that particular survey.

Did autopilot want you to take over? That’s an issue.
We’re you in an area of low connectivity so music streaming was interrupted? That’s an issue.
Were you presented with an incorrect speed limit at some point? That’s an issue.
Did your car self immolate? That’s an issue.
Did your engine irreparably fail? That’s an issue.

All these issues hold equal weight. The trend has been that the IQS has become more a measure of how few features a brand has than actual quality. Did I make up the Tesla specific things? Yes, but they are similar to the types of things that are “issues” according to that report. I haven’t seen one of the surveys in the last few years, but the last time I received one, that’s how bizarre it was.

 

[3ngineer]

Approximately 0.05% of Teslas sold are lemons (at least in WA and FL), probably low estimate because it can take some time for repairs to accumulate and qualify as a lemon.