Photo: @preneh24 via Twitter | Edited
A Tesla Model Y owner who had just taken delivery of the car on January 24 was stupefied to see the steering wheel suddenly falling off while driving on the highway. Initially, the service center wanted the owner to pay for the repairs, but Tesla eventually agreed to buy back the car “as a gesture of goodwill.”
At the end of January, Prerak Patel was a happy Tesla owner who just took delivery of his brand-new Model Y. A couple of days later, the steering wheel on his new car fell off while driving on a highway. The owner was fortunate not to have any vehicles driving behind at the time, so he could stop the car safely. Having your brand-new car lose its steering wheel days after delivery is highly unusual, but lo and behold, it had happened to another Tesla owner before.
In a normal world, Tesla would’ve apologized for the problem and offered the unlucky owner royal treatment to compensate for the fact that it put his life (and his family’s) in danger. Nevertheless, Tesla is not living in a normal world, so this story took a stranger turn. The Tesla Service Center that took care of the car after the incident decided it was Prerak’s fault that the steering wheel fell off and charged him $104 for the repairs. He refused to pay and quoted Elon Musk in a Twitter message asking for a refund.
“Am I responsible for manufacturing defect? It’s not even week and getting bill for faulty steering wheel,” wrote Prerak on Twitter. “Isn’t it company’s responsibility to fix it? I would greatly appreciate refund and keep the car as we lost trust and family is not feeling safe driving it back.”
After a little back and forth, Tesla removed the charge but declined to assume responsibility for the faulty steering wheel. Prerak, on the other hand, wanted the company to own its mistakes and make sure such things don’t happen to others again. Later, he revealed that Tesla called and apologized, offering him two choices: accept the Tesla Model Y with the steering repaired or replace the car with a new one. Prerak set up a Twitter poll, asking people which one he should choose, and sure enough, 83% voted for a new car.
In the end, Prerak was lucky to have Tesla buy back his car and replace it with a new one. Nevertheless, the EV maker insists in a letter it sent to the owner that the car had “no defect, non-conformity or other warrantable condition, or any other basis for Tesla’s liability.” According to the letter, the replacement was offered “as a gesture of goodwill.”
Goodwill is a general term that Tesla frequently uses for repairs it should’ve done under warranty. This way, it doesn’t have to report the issues to the authorities or issue a recall. Nevertheless, it takes more than goodwill to replace a faulty vehicle with a new one. That Tesla agreed to do that is interesting, but denying responsibility for the incident is questionable.
In a normal world, Tesla would’ve apologized for the problem and offered the unlucky owner royal treatment to compensate for the fact that it put his life (and his family’s) in danger. Nevertheless, Tesla is not living in a normal world, so this story took a stranger turn. The Tesla Service Center that took care of the car after the incident decided it was Prerak’s fault that the steering wheel fell off and charged him $104 for the repairs. He refused to pay and quoted Elon Musk in a Twitter message asking for a refund.
“Am I responsible for manufacturing defect? It’s not even week and getting bill for faulty steering wheel,” wrote Prerak on Twitter. “Isn’t it company’s responsibility to fix it? I would greatly appreciate refund and keep the car as we lost trust and family is not feeling safe driving it back.”
After a little back and forth, Tesla removed the charge but declined to assume responsibility for the faulty steering wheel. Prerak, on the other hand, wanted the company to own its mistakes and make sure such things don’t happen to others again. Later, he revealed that Tesla called and apologized, offering him two choices: accept the Tesla Model Y with the steering repaired or replace the car with a new one. Prerak set up a Twitter poll, asking people which one he should choose, and sure enough, 83% voted for a new car.
In the end, Prerak was lucky to have Tesla buy back his car and replace it with a new one. Nevertheless, the EV maker insists in a letter it sent to the owner that the car had “no defect, non-conformity or other warrantable condition, or any other basis for Tesla’s liability.” According to the letter, the replacement was offered “as a gesture of goodwill.”
Goodwill is a general term that Tesla frequently uses for repairs it should’ve done under warranty. This way, it doesn’t have to report the issues to the authorities or issue a recall. Nevertheless, it takes more than goodwill to replace a faulty vehicle with a new one. That Tesla agreed to do that is interesting, but denying responsibility for the incident is questionable.
@elonmusk
— Tesla, Y did the steering wheel fall off? Prerak (@preneh24) February 7, 2023
As 83% voted for a new car, my car was bought back by @Tesla and received a loaner Tesla Y till I get a new car.
I am grateful to all of you for continued support and extending it to media coverage, and the Springfield/Princeton Tesla Devean(GM)’s team. pic.twitter.com/91ezcoOCkp
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