Here’s some bad news for the luxury electric car maker Tesla. On the basis of Annual Auto Reliability Survey, Consumer Reports said that it would not recommend Tesla Model S and it forecasts that owning the said variant is likely to involve a “worse-than-average” overall problem rate.
However, Consumer Reports said that Tesla Motor’s all-electric Model S Sedan is the best performing car they have ever tested.
In a separate report, Consumer Reports said, “The all-wheel-drive Tesla Model S P85D sedan performed better in our tests than any other car ever has, breaking the Consumer Reports Ratings system.”
Priced at $127,820, Model S sedan scored high marks in Consumer Reports’ 50-plus tests involving driving dynamics and livability, and it consumed energy at the electric equivalent of 84 miles per gallon. It accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds without an engine’s “roar”.
“The Tesla initially scored 103 in the Consumer Reports' Ratings system, which by definition doesn’t go past 100. The car set a new benchmark, so we had to make changes to our scoring to account for it”, said Consumer Reports. However, it added, “The Tesla’s 100 score doesn’t make the P85D a perfect car...it has imperfections”.
1,400 survey responses from Model S owners received in Annual Auto Reliability Survey suggested that the main problem areas involved the drivetrain, power equipment, charging equipment, giant iPad-like center console, and body and sunroof squeaks, rattles, and leaks. Other problem areas include inoperable wipers, leaking battery cooling pumps, out-of-alignment truck and hatchback latches, persistent wheel-alignment issues.
However, the report also found that despite the problems, Tesla owner satisfaction is still very high: 97% of owners said they would definitely buy the car again. It seems that the electric car maker has been responsive to the issues reported by car owners, “all with a minimum of fuss to owners.”
When asked for a comment, a Tesla spokesperson said in an email, “Close communication with our customers enables Tesla to receive input, proactively address issues, and quickly fix problems. Model S over-the-air software updates allow Tesla to diagnose and fix most bugs without the need to come in for service. In instances when hardware needs to be fixed, we keep the customer’s convenience and satisfaction top of mind.”