Which? Critisises Tesla Reliability

[Sparkeur]

Ouch! The report seems to mirror at least some of the comments on here:

'Teslas seemingly desirable Tesla Model S saloon and Model X SUV both get the poorest possible mark for 0-3-year reliability thanks to disastrously high fault rates and lengthy garage stays,' Which? researchers said.

A quarter (26 per cent) of Model 3 owners said their car had at least one problem that had to be fixed by a mechanic. Given the age of the car, that’s incredibly high.

While these faults were predominantly minor issues they suggest a 'general low level of quality', with paintwork and other exterior trim problems most commonly highlighted in the comprehensive Which? driver poll.

'Although not overly frequent, a number of owners also reported problems with the car’s rainwater seals,' it said.

'The last thing you expect from your fancy new electric car is for it to let in water.

'Then factor in that 3 per cent of owners we heard from had already seen their car break down. The Model 3 looks destined to go the way of the Model S and Model X in terms of dependability,' researchers added.



Expensive Land Rovers and Teslas are the most UNRELIABLE cars, says watchdog | Daily Mail Online

 

[Jeeves]

Customary exaggerated headline, but the quotes on the Model 3 match my experience exactly. In my case, it wasn’t just a single problem either. The car hasn’t be unreliable in the sense of breakdowns though, on the contrary.

 

[ACarneiro]

I suppose they have a point.
But I’d still not trade my M3 for any other “reliable” ICE vehicle for all the tea in China.

 

[Jason71]

The 1 in 33 actual breakdowns surprises me buy the rest seems about right

 

[Sparkeur]

I suppose they have a point.
But I’d still not trade my M3 for any other “reliable” ICE vehicle for all the tea in China.

Me neither but hopefully, it might be a wake-up call for delivery problems. I am surprised at the reliability quote for M3 breakdowns though as I've not heard anything like that before - certainly not on here.

..and as Tesla state, What Car? name the M3 the most reliable executive and electric car.

 

[Mr Miserable]

The September edition of Which has the Volvo XC90 as the most unreliable car

 

[Glan gluaisne]

For as long as Tesla have a queue of people lining up to buy every car they can manufacture, there's zero incentive for them to change anything, is there?

People may well switch brands if a company like, say, Toyota started producing cars with the same sort of quality issue as Teslas, but that just doesn't seem to happen to some brands. In my experience, despite people being well and truly ripped off by the likes of BMW and Mercedes dealers, they still go back and buy another one. The same seems true of Tesla, people feel so strongly about the good points of Tesla ownership that they are prepared to turn a blind eye to all the infuriating quality issues. Reminds me of a friend of mine from around 40 years ago. He was fanatical about Lancias. Even when his 3 year old Beta failed it's very first MOT for serious structural corrosion, he still went out and bought another one.

 

[Durzel]

For as long as Tesla have a queue of people lining up to buy every car they can manufacture, there's zero incentive for them to change anything, is there?

Ultimately I think this is correct.

There is no shortage of demand, quite the opposite it would seem.

It is going to take either a) customers as a whole stopping buying their product or b) actual viable competitors taking their customers with better products/service, etc.

Tesla isn't going to spend money on better customer services, QC, etc when they don't have to. Unfortuately for them it is only a matter of time before their competitors have comparable products on the market, which will magnify the differences in fit and finish, etc.

That said, as said above, I wouldn't trade my Model 3 for any ICE, and that is part of the problem.

 

[webbah]

The more people that refuse deliveries due to these issues (cosmetic primarily) the better. Tesla will get their act together quick if that happened consistently. The issue is so many people don't know what to look for or are just too excited to take the car and rely on the promises to have them quickly resolved at delivery.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

I suppose the other thing that might get quality to improve will be once the cost of all the post-delivery rectification work starts to hit profits. It must cost Tesla more to fix faults post-delivery than just make sure the cars are put together properly in the first place. This was a lesson the big Japanese manufacturers learned decades ago, with their "total quality" and "right first time" policies.

 

[Adopado]

Reasonable comments actually but also bear in mind that this is a small sample of the very first RHD cars delivered last year so may or may not be wholly applicable to current vehicles. In the full report it acknowledged that despite the issues Teslas are rated very highly by their owners!

 

[Jason71]

Reasonable comments actually but also bear in mind that this is a small sample of the very first RHD cars delivered last year so may or may not be wholly applicable to current vehicles. In the full report it acknowledged that despite the issues Teslas are rated very highly by their owners!

Oh thats OK then because its got much better since then.............

 

[Jason71]

I have no idea what they are playing at.
Who do Which? think they are.
Criticizing Tesla for reliability and quality.
That's clearly OUR job!

 

[Adopado]

Oh thats OK then because its got much better since then.............

Might not be representative because it's got worse for all we know!

 

[Jason71]

Might not be representative because it's got worse for all we know!

There is some evidence for the big faults that can be engineered out like water in the wiring connector having been addressed. Not sure there is much evidence from what I have read recently that the general assembly quality / paint has improved or the quality assurance.

 

[Yev000]

Unfortuately for them it is only a matter of time before their competitors have comparable products on the market

Now I just got tea all over my keyboard....

Yeah I guess everything is "a matter of time"... Entropy and heat death of the universe and all that.

Does anyone have access to the actual report rather than a clickbait "news" article?

 

[Jason71]

Now I just got tea all over my keyboard....

Yeah I guess everything is "a matter of time"... Entropy and heat death of the universe and all that.

Does anyone have access to the actual report rather than a clickbait "news" article?

I imagine in the Venn diagram of Tesla ownership and Which membership there is a fair degree of overlap

 

[Durzel]

Now I just got tea all over my keyboard....

Yeah I guess everything is "a matter of time"... Entropy and heat death of the universe and all that.

Does anyone have access to the actual report rather than a clickbait "news" article?

That is a fair point It's been years and there hasn't been a comparable product really yet. I would suggest the likes of the Taycan are going to eat into Model S sales, however, and as EV in general gets more and more of a push there will inevitably be more competition.

 

[Adopado]

The September edition of Which has the Volvo XC90 as the most unreliable car

Indeed ... and it seems German reliability is not what it was ... the numbers say buy a Lexus if you want a reliable car.

 

[Adopado]

Now I just got tea all over my keyboard....

Yeah I guess everything is "a matter of time"... Entropy and heat death of the universe and all that.

Does anyone have access to the actual report rather than a clickbait "news" article?

Yes