Posted on 02/21/2019 10:41:46 AM PST by Red Badger
Tesla shares fall nearly 2 percent after a new report, based in part on the reviews of thousands of vehicle owners, raises questions about the reliability of Tesla's Model 3.
Consumer Reports says it will no longer recommend the Model 3 due to the reliability issues.
A Tesla spokesperson said, "The vast majority of these issues have already been corrected through design and manufacturing improvements."
Tesla shares fell after a new report, based in part on the reviews of thousands of vehicle owners, raises questions about the reliability of Tesla's Model 3. Consumer Reports says it will no longer recommend the Model 3 due to the reliability issues.
"When we look at the Model 3 lot of the issues are the electronics," said Jake Fisher, senior director of Automotive Testing at Consumer Reports. "There are some issues replacing the (navigation/infotainment) screens, for instance, but we've seen other issues in terms of the trim breaking and the glass."
Tesla shares were trading down nearly 2 percent after the report was released Thursday.
Consumer Reports recommendation of particular models is based on several factors, including the feedback of vehicle owners, crash test performance and the testing and reviews conducted by the Consumer Reports auto team. While it reached its conclusion after reading reports of Tesla owners complaining about the fit and finish of their vehicles, Fisher points out the Model 3 owned and tested by Consumer Reports had a rear window with a small stress fracture.
This report confirms the concern many analysts have raised about the quality of Tesla models slipping as the automaker ramped up production last year. As Tesla CEO Elon Musk pushed his team to meet ambitious Model 3 production targets, he repeatedly said Tesla was in the midst of "production hell."
At one point, Tesla added an additional Model 3 assembly line by erecting a permanent tent outside its assembly plant in Fremont, California. Reports of production issues ranged from robots on the assembly line not working properly to Tesla employees claiming the company was churning out a high volume of flawed parts that led to the automaker needing to rework and repair new models before being shipped to customers. 2019 Chrysler 300 Source: Fiat Chrysler 2019 Chrysler 300
When asked about Consumer Reports' new opinion of the Model 3, a Tesla spokesperson said, "We're setting an extremely high bar for Model 3. We have already made significant improvements to correct any issues that Model 3 customers may have experienced that are referenced in this report, and our return policy allows any customer who is unhappy with their car to return it for a full refund."
The spokesperson added, "This new data from Consumer Reports comes from their annual Owner Satisfaction survey, which runs from July through September, so the vast majority of these issues have already been corrected through design and manufacturing improvements, and we are already seeing a significant improvement in our field data."
While many Tesla owners may not be happy about the reliability of their car, Consumer Reports says those owners are generally satisfied with their electric vehicles.
"They like their cars, but they still tell us the truth. They tell us the problems they are having with them," said Fisher.
As a brand, Tesla fell 11 spots to number 13 out of 33 brands ranked by Consumer Reports. Tesla is tied with Chrysler for having the biggest drop in brand rankings in this year's auto issue.
By comparison, Subaru has soared to the top of the latest car brand rankings. The Japanese brand climbed six places to become number one in the eyes of Consumer Reports, just ahead of Genesis, Porsche, Audi and Lexus.
"Subaru does almost everything really well," said Fisher. "They make an enjoyable car to drive and great reliability too."
The lowest rated auto brands by Consumer Reports is Fiat, right behind Jaguar and Land Rover.
My neighbor has a top line Hyundai Genesis.
It’s a beautiful car.
Has had a few warranty problems but the dealer treats him like a potentate. He’s a happy customer.
How many consecutive 0-60 runs can it do? The joke with beating the whoop-do-do Tesla is to challenge them to a best our of 5 runs, back to back.
Based on what I’ve read, Tesla has ramped up their production with bad quality and is swamping their service network (which wasn’t expanded nearly as much) with broken cars. Also people complain of multi-month waits for repair parts.
The folks who bought their 6-figure S and X cars typically have a fleet and don’t care much, but the 3-model is targeted more toward people who need a car every day.
My last two cars have been Acuras...and I would never consider Tesla since I live in Ohio. The cold winters would further limit the usability.
I've started looking and zoning in on the Lexus IS-350 F and, my favorite, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio with its' Ferrari V6-BiTurbo engine (505 HP), Ferrari steering system...and 191 mph top speed.
My heart says the Alfa.
Musk lectures us on carbon-induced climate change while his G650ER flew about 250,000 km last year...or about equivalent to 300 cars.
Good job of parroting the Washington Post.
Just because Bezos and Musk hate each other doesn’t change the facts.
The Washington Post article was a one sided hit piece, and you are obviously using it as a source.
Of course, you’re not alone. Other FReepers have used the LATimes hit piece to confirm their bias against Musk.
The people who like him the least are the ones who know the least about him. Newspapers hate him because his companies don’t buy advertising.
There’s no dispute about all the jet miles, no matter what source you use. The Tesla stock shorts track every trip, including all those 20 mile commuter flights in LA and Silicon Valley.
Musk is as fake as Burney Sanders on this topic.
I have nothing but high praise for Subaru.
We have a 2016 Outback with 114,000 miles and 2017 Outback Limited at 34,000.
Both cars have the EyeSight system with the adaptive cruse control. I can not express how much I love that feature.
All wheel drive, awesome traction in the snow and ice. 4 cylinder boxer has good power and averages around 25 mph.
The best cars I have ever owned, and I’ve had a lot over the years.
Well, no wonder.............................
“Fisher points out that the Model 3 owned and tested by Consumer Reports had a rear window with a small stress fracture.”
Happens when temperatures change, since glass and steel (or aluminum) expand/contract at different rates as temperatures vary. Obviously that’s well known to traditional car companies, so they don’t try to fit the windows right up to the frame, but I guess Tesla is learning that the hard way.
Bottom line, Consumer Reports needs to better understand the REAL USE of Teslas, which is to be a talking point for owners to show off their ‘green cred’, and not take them outside in colder weather (when the window frame contracts against the glass). I’m surprised that Musk didn’t tweet something to that effect.
“Lol. I keep my cars about eight years and the only costly repair in the 35 years I had was an $65 wiper motor on my Jeep about about 25 years ago.”
I think the latest version of Tesla software gets rid of the need for windshield wiper motors. So take that you tech-denier.
I was ticked. The screws holding the wipers were screwed in from the bottom in the upper arm. When it started backing out it jammed between the arms and burned out the motor.
And it’s also a fact that you only acknowledge the negative in order to confirm your cognitive bias against Musk.
Same goes for VW. According to the CR ranking, VW is just above Honda, and just below Toyauto. I have a '16 GTI, and it's been great so far.
Well you are absolutely right about that. What Musk has managed to accomplish is incredible. But part of the reason he has managed to literally reach the stars is that he is a high stakes gambler with his own money, with his investors money and with government grant money. At some point people willing to take big risks often end up taking big falls. The Tesla Motor Company is a house of cards.
Tesla has been in business for over 15 years, employs 48,000 people and had revenue of over $21 billion last year. That’s some house of cards.
General Motors has been in business for 111 years had $145 Billion dollars of revenue in 2017. GM was a house of cards; we knew people who were true believers in GM (a little hard to believe now). They put their money where their mouth was; they had nearly all of their savings in GM bonds and they lost everything in 2009.
GM was a finance company dominated by unions.
It had little in common with the Tesla of today.
Your claim about Tesla is nothing but negative cognitive bias.
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