Photo: jf.okay/Twitter
Deliver now, fix later. Tesla’s motto for vehicle production is known since Elon Musk refused to give the Model S more tests before it was handed to its first customers. Sadly, it seems the company is far from giving up on this strategy. Model S owners are now complaining that the controversial steering yoke Tesla installed in them is already peeling off.
The first case that we are aware of was reported by The Kilowatts on Twitter on July 30. In fact, they were just sharing the financial story of the Model S Long Range bought in December 2021. Among the pictures they shared was one of the interior. When another person asked if the steering yoke started peeling after only 24,500 miles, The Kilowatts confirmed that this was the case with more images of the vehicle – recently sold with that defect.
The discussions this tweet generated allowed others to share similar stories with the steering yoke. A Twitter user named Aaron (@AaronS5_) said that the problem is more common than you’d think and that he knows customers with their third yoke in 10,000 miles.
This person is probably not the one writing as jf.okay on Twitter. This Tesla owner does not seem to be very happy that their 12,000-mile vehicle already has a steering yoke peeling off. This customer tagged Tesla and Elon Musk to complain about the problem. Predictably, neither the company nor its CEO answered jf.okay’s tweet.
According to some of the people commenting, the spontaneous peeling is probably the result of heating combined with the vegan leather that Tesla uses. Whether this is the case or not, this is clearly the result of insufficient testing before the EV maker started selling its vehicles with the steering yoke.
When the company was developing the Model S, Musk told Philippe Chain that Tesla would fix any problems that eventually emerged would be fixed by over-the-air (OTA) updates or recalls. A peeling steering yoke is not a safety issue, which allows the EV maker not to invite customers to replace it. An OTA update obviously has no effect on solving the situation. Warranty claims may be dismissed as abuse or misuse. If that does not happen, the warranty period will eventually end. Tesla customers affected by this problem will have to pursue a permanent solution for it.
The discussions this tweet generated allowed others to share similar stories with the steering yoke. A Twitter user named Aaron (@AaronS5_) said that the problem is more common than you’d think and that he knows customers with their third yoke in 10,000 miles.
This person is probably not the one writing as jf.okay on Twitter. This Tesla owner does not seem to be very happy that their 12,000-mile vehicle already has a steering yoke peeling off. This customer tagged Tesla and Elon Musk to complain about the problem. Predictably, neither the company nor its CEO answered jf.okay’s tweet.
According to some of the people commenting, the spontaneous peeling is probably the result of heating combined with the vegan leather that Tesla uses. Whether this is the case or not, this is clearly the result of insufficient testing before the EV maker started selling its vehicles with the steering yoke.
When the company was developing the Model S, Musk told Philippe Chain that Tesla would fix any problems that eventually emerged would be fixed by over-the-air (OTA) updates or recalls. A peeling steering yoke is not a safety issue, which allows the EV maker not to invite customers to replace it. An OTA update obviously has no effect on solving the situation. Warranty claims may be dismissed as abuse or misuse. If that does not happen, the warranty period will eventually end. Tesla customers affected by this problem will have to pursue a permanent solution for it.
Yeah ???? pic.twitter.com/jK0VPgTMuV
— The Kilowatts ?????? (@klwtts) July 30, 2022
????
— The Kilowatts ?????? (@klwtts) July 30, 2022
1 mile down the road and it’s already gotten worse. pic.twitter.com/FnXPSDUoZC
— jf.okay (@therealjfokay) August 23, 2022
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