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Why Doesn't Tesla Fix Chronic Defects in Its Cars for Good?

Nickolas Catherine could have brought me an entirely new defect in a Tesla. In my years covering electric cars, I have seen dozens. Yet, his case surprised me not because it was something unusual or striking new: it was something I had been writing about for almost a year. It even had a recall in China. Yet, Tesla customers still get stranded with failing inverters in the rear drive units of their EVs. Why doesn’t Tesla fix that?
Dana Brems, Nickolas Catherine, and Thomas George Exton are Tesla customers who should not have had issues with the rear motor inverters in their cars. Still... 28 photos
Photo: Dana Brems/Nickolas Catherine/Thomas George Exton/edited by autoevolution
Nickolas Catherine had barely driven his Tesla Model 3 when a familiar issue left him stranded: a failed rear motor inverterNickolas Catherine had barely driven his Tesla Model 3 when a familiar issue left him stranded: a failed rear motor inverterNickolas Catherine had barely driven his Tesla Model 3 when a familiar issue left him stranded: a failed rear motor inverterNickolas Catherine had barely driven his Tesla Model 3 when a familiar issue left him stranded: a failed rear motor inverterNickolas Catherine had barely driven his Tesla Model 3 when a familiar issue left him stranded: a failed rear motor inverterNickolas Catherine had barely driven his Tesla Model 3 when a familiar issue left him stranded: a failed rear motor inverterNickolas Catherine had barely driven his Tesla Model 3 when a familiar issue left him stranded: a failed rear motor inverterNickolas Catherine had barely driven his Tesla Model 3 when a familiar issue left him stranded: a failed rear motor inverterNickolas Catherine had barely driven his Tesla Model 3 when a familiar issue left him stranded: a failed rear motor inverterDana Brems bought her Tesla Model 3 recently and got stranded in the left lane of a freewayDana Brems bought her Tesla Model 3 recently and got stranded in the left lane of a freewayDana Brems bought her Tesla Model 3 recently and got stranded in the left lane of a freewayDana Brems bought her Tesla Model 3 recently and got stranded in the left lane of a freewayDana Brems bought her Tesla Model 3 recently and got stranded in the left lane of a freewayDana Brems bought her Tesla Model 3 recently and got stranded in the left lane of a freewayDana Brems bought her Tesla Model 3 recently and got stranded in the left lane of a freewayDana Brems now knows what happened to her Tesla Model 3: a broken rear drive unitDana Brems now knows what happened to her Tesla Model 3: a broken rear drive unitThomas George Exton was driving from London to Nottingham when his brand-new Tesla Model Y showed this messageWhen his Model Y shut down, the buttons for opening the doors stopped workingExton knew how to use the manual release in the doors, but the window got stuck in the body and crackedWhen the tow truck arrived, the door accidentally closed: Exton broke a piece of the cracked window to open the carThe entrepreneur cut his hand while removing the glassTesla Road Service arrived two hours later: they were the only ones able to deal with the vehicleExton faced a lot of abuse on Twitter from Tesla advocatesExton faced a lot of abuse on Twitter from Tesla advocatesTesla Model Y failure in the UK was blamed on PCS, but that's only the inverter
If you are not familiar with Catherine’s story, he took delivery of a brand-new Tesla Model 3 RWD on February 27. The car stopped working on March 1 after running only 126 miles. The Tesla customer had to wait two hours for his EV to be towed back to a service center. When he learned that his Model 3 had faced a failed rear motor inverter, he searched for it and discovered my articles about the problem. After that, he found me on LinkedIn and allowed me to write his story.

Far from being just another case emerging from the same issue, it marked how difficult it seems to be for Tesla to repair something that it certainly know is wrong for more than a year. On April 7, Tesla started a recall in China due to the very problem that turned Catherine’s Model 3 into an expensive paperweight on a New Jersey avenue. The company told the Chinese government that the issue involved 127,785 units of the electric sedan produced from January 11, 2019, until January 25, 2022.

Nickolas Catherine had barely driven his Tesla Model 3 when a familiar issue left him stranded\: a failed rear motor inverter
Photo: Nickolas Catherine
Those trying to argue that the Chinese Model 3 is different from the American one certainly missed the recall notice. Of the 127,785 EVs, 34,207 units were made in the U.S. Curiously, Tesla did not propose to fix any Model 3 on American soil due to the inverter defect. It just informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about it. I still wonder how Tesla managed to convince the American safety regulator that the rear motor inverter flaw had nothing to do with American cars when some of these vehicles needed repairs in China. The fact is that NHTSA never demanded Tesla do the same in the U.S.

Another strong evidence that this should have been the case was an article from ConsumerAffairs published on April 5, two days before the Chinese recall. It reported chronic problems with the Tesla Model Y, a vehicle that shares its underpinnings with the Model 3. Guess which the issue was? Exactly: the rear drive unit. The story mentioned TMC forum threads, and the oldest complaint I found happened on November 19, 2020. Remember: Tesla itself told the Chinese authorities cars made since January 2019 could have the issue.

Dana Brems now knows what happened to her Tesla Model 3\: a broken rear drive unit
Photo: Dana Brems/edited by autoevolution
When ConsumerAffairs published its story, there was no information on what was causing the failure. Ironically, Tesla provided the answer, even if not for the press: there is no way to talk to the company, which should be the first and most representative red flag involving the EV maker. Anyone refusing to speak to the media is not dodging reporters: it is avoiding you. Even Tesla advocates have urged the company to be more transparent – to no avail.

New cases did not take long to emerge. In June 2022, Tesla halted deliveries of the Model Y Performance made in Germany because of rear motor failures. Some owners experienced them right after delivery, like Catherine. In October 2022, Dana Brems was driving from Los Angeles to San Diego when her Model 3 got stuck in the left lane of the I-5 freeway after a blind corner. Luckily, nothing more serious happened to her or her car. It was only the third time she drove her EV. She also wanted to get her money back but eventually kept the vehicle. Catherine said he would not back down on getting his money back: he does not trust the Model 3 anymore. Tesla has now threatened to charge him storage fees if he does not pick it up. Why would he if he just wants his money back?

Tesla Road Service arrived two hours later\: they were the only ones able to deal with the vehicle
Photo: TGE/YouTube
On the other side of the pond, Thomas George Exton was driving his Model Y on December 8 in freezing-cold conditions when his car stopped. His experience was a true nightmare. Tesla eventually told him the Power Conversion System (PCS) in his electric SUV had failed. That’s another name for an inverter. And now we have Catherine’s case. You can bet there are several more people affected that just did not go public.

Let’s recap: there have been rear motor inverters failure events since November 2020. Tesla recalled vehicles made even earlier than that: starting in January 2019. Despite that, I have written about many more cases, the latest one involving a 2023 Model 3 with 126 miles on the clock. How come? Shouldn’t the Chinese recall have indicated that Tesla would make sure no other vehicles would present this issue ever again? Why do they still fail?

Exton faced a lot of abuse on Twitter from Tesla advocates
Photo: TGE/YouTube
It is pretty tricky to figure out what may be going on at the company with these faulty inverters. Are they part of a massive production batch that Tesla is still putting in new vehicles regardless of whether they have a known defect? Is it something the EV maker cannot change for whatever reason, so it keeps on making inverters that break down? Is it something Tesla has no idea how to fix, which means even the recalled Chinese vehicles may present the problem again? Only the EV maker can answer those questions. However, at this point, who would honestly believe it? Ignore shareholders and fans: they have financial and emotional investments to protect.

The undeniable reality that Nickolas Catherine’s Model 3 and several other EVs before it showcased is that the defect persists. NHTSA may feel relieved it did not demand Tesla to perform the Chinese recall in the U.S.: all evidence suggests it would make no difference. Joking aside, that leaves Model Y and Model 3 owners with an excruciating question: when and why may they be in Catherine’s shoes? Many were before him, and there is no sign that he will be the last to complain about that. I’ll let you know who the next one will be.
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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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