Shreyansh Jain, a previous Tesla owner, encountered a staggering $14,000 repair bill within 24 hours of bringing home his new Model Y, according to a recent report. The car's suspension malfunctioned during a family drive, causing parts of the vehicle to hit the road and resulting in loss of steering control with just 115 miles on the odometer.
A Reuters investigation, drawing from numerous customer and employee interviews along with internal documents, revealed that Jain's experience wasn't isolated. It suggested that over the past six years, thousands of Tesla owners have faced similar issues with suspension or steering. Despite public denials and attempts to shift responsibility onto owners, the report hinted that Tesla was more aware of these problems than it publicly acknowledged.
While Tesla, without a dedicated press department, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment, Elon Musk has previously acknowledged quality issues during production ramps, attributing them to discovering flaws at higher speeds.
Jain's family, initially thrilled with their purchase, turned anxious when their $55,000 car broke down. Tesla's service center initially implied they'd cover the repairs, but later, Jain was handed the $14,000 bill, citing the issue as "prior" damage.
Jain ended up shouldering a $1,250 insurance deductible, faced increased premiums, endured a three-month wait for repairs, and eventually sold the car at a $10,000 loss.
This isn't the first glimpse into Tesla's quality concerns. Previous instances include NHTSA investigations into steering wheel detachment and regulatory scrutiny over Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features. Tesla addressed driver-monitoring system faults after an NHTSA directive via an over-the-air update. Throughout, Tesla owners have highlighted issues ranging from build quality problems to service center inadequacies.
---------This article is partly excerpted from SavvyDime.