Photo: Global Times
I’ve bought my current daily driver three years ago with zero miles on the clock. It may not be the coolest automobile on sale today, it’s not luxurious, but I have never experienced a single issue with my econobox since then. Tesla, meanwhile, has a spotty record for build quality.
Take, for instance, the best-selling Model 3. Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained took delivery of an electric sedan with orange peel, a lot of scratches on the doors and rear bumper, and obvious panel gaps. The Model 3’s rear bumper has a habit of flying off the car whenever it rains, and Tesla famously invoked “an act of God” before admitting that it’s a design flaw.
As if these problems weren’t enough to get one’s blood boiling, service departments leave much to be desired as well. The female owner of a relatively new Model 3, which reportedly exhibited a brake failure that led to a crash, protested the automaker’s indifference by climbing on top of a Model 3 at the Auto Shanghai 2021 motor show in front of media attendees.
Global Times reports that Tesla’s booth beefed up security after removing the female owner. She was taken to a local police station for questioning, and a Tesla representative told the Chinese publication that police still investigates the case. But still, this owner's unfortunate crash isn’t the only one.
“Earlier in March 2021, a Tesla owner in the Henan Province painted Tesla Brake Failure on her car while protesting in front of a local store, chanting that Tesla’s defective braking system almost killed her family.” Global Times further mentions “five recalls concerning quality problems [in the People’s Republic of China], including imported Model S and X vehicles.”
As expected, the Chinese market regulator could let the EV manufacturer off the hook over these incidents. The State Administration for Market Regulation slapped the Palo Alto-based company on the wrist in February 2021 over the rising number of consumer-submitted complaints, which include “unintended acceleration, battery fires, and unusual over-the-air updates.”
As if these problems weren’t enough to get one’s blood boiling, service departments leave much to be desired as well. The female owner of a relatively new Model 3, which reportedly exhibited a brake failure that led to a crash, protested the automaker’s indifference by climbing on top of a Model 3 at the Auto Shanghai 2021 motor show in front of media attendees.
Global Times reports that Tesla’s booth beefed up security after removing the female owner. She was taken to a local police station for questioning, and a Tesla representative told the Chinese publication that police still investigates the case. But still, this owner's unfortunate crash isn’t the only one.
“Earlier in March 2021, a Tesla owner in the Henan Province painted Tesla Brake Failure on her car while protesting in front of a local store, chanting that Tesla’s defective braking system almost killed her family.” Global Times further mentions “five recalls concerning quality problems [in the People’s Republic of China], including imported Model S and X vehicles.”
As expected, the Chinese market regulator could let the EV manufacturer off the hook over these incidents. The State Administration for Market Regulation slapped the Palo Alto-based company on the wrist in February 2021 over the rising number of consumer-submitted complaints, which include “unintended acceleration, battery fires, and unusual over-the-air updates.”
A female Tesla owner climbed on top of a car’s roof at the Tesla booth to protest her car’s brake malfunction at the Shanghai auto show Monday. The booth beefed up its security after the incident. pic.twitter.com/ct7RmF1agM
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) April 19, 2021
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEONE TRANSLATE WHAT SHE IS SAYING!!!
— INVESTMENT HULK (@INVESTMENTSHULK) April 19, 2021
pic.twitter.com/eSf09y0f7m
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