Photo: Tesla
With the 2020 Polestar 2 right around the corner, the Model 3 will get some proper competition for a change. But looking at the bigger picture, Volvo’s performance division doesn’t have the production capacity to challenge Tesla on equal footing.
The Model 3, while popular and in demand on three continents, suffers from lots of problems. First there were the brakes, but the paint imperfections and misaligned body panels are still with us. Following a Consumer Reports survey, more issues were uncovered.
Consumer Reports dropped the Recommended rating for the most affordable Tesla in the lineup thanks to input from more than 500 owners. The "relatively high number of reliability complaints” include body panels, paint, trim, infotainment, electronics, and cracks in the rear window.
The test vehicle bought by Consumer Reports also developed a crack in the rear window, and this can’t be passed off as a coincidence. But wait, there’s more!
One owner wrote that “the touchscreen would intermittently begin acting as if someone was touching it rapidly at many different points. This fault would cause music to play, volume to increase to maximum, and would rescale and pan the map in the navigation system.”
The Model S lost Consumer Reports’ recommendation in October 2018 over suspension problems, and the Model X never received one in the first place. Is there a silver lining, though?
Where all Tesla models excel is the powertrain, with CR member reporting few problems. This boils down to the relative simplicity of the components, which is to be expected from an electric vehicle.
Over-the-air updates might fix infotainment issues, but we’re not keeping our hopes up for build quality. As Tesla ramps up production with every passing quarter, there’s no denying there will be consequences.
Tesla is aware of owner complaints and has a history of implementing improvements as quickly as possible. And don’t forget that some owners are willing to overlook these imperfections because hey, it’s a Tesla Model 3!
On an ending note, care to guess which is the cheapest EV per mile of range in the United States? Look no further than the Hyundai Kona Electric.
Consumer Reports dropped the Recommended rating for the most affordable Tesla in the lineup thanks to input from more than 500 owners. The "relatively high number of reliability complaints” include body panels, paint, trim, infotainment, electronics, and cracks in the rear window.
The test vehicle bought by Consumer Reports also developed a crack in the rear window, and this can’t be passed off as a coincidence. But wait, there’s more!
One owner wrote that “the touchscreen would intermittently begin acting as if someone was touching it rapidly at many different points. This fault would cause music to play, volume to increase to maximum, and would rescale and pan the map in the navigation system.”
The Model S lost Consumer Reports’ recommendation in October 2018 over suspension problems, and the Model X never received one in the first place. Is there a silver lining, though?
Where all Tesla models excel is the powertrain, with CR member reporting few problems. This boils down to the relative simplicity of the components, which is to be expected from an electric vehicle.
Over-the-air updates might fix infotainment issues, but we’re not keeping our hopes up for build quality. As Tesla ramps up production with every passing quarter, there’s no denying there will be consequences.
Tesla is aware of owner complaints and has a history of implementing improvements as quickly as possible. And don’t forget that some owners are willing to overlook these imperfections because hey, it’s a Tesla Model 3!
On an ending note, care to guess which is the cheapest EV per mile of range in the United States? Look no further than the Hyundai Kona Electric.
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