2023-12-28 10:21:49
Suspensions that break suddenly on new cars, faulty steering or even wheels that come loose: a bad dream, unfortunately very real for tens of thousands of Tesla owners. Worse still: the brand, well aware of the problem, would have deliberately placed the blame on the drivers for not paying warranty. We will explain everything to you.
Tesla Model S Plaid // Source : Tesla
Article updated on December 28, 2023: Tesla has just publicly responded to Archyde.com’ investigation into X (formerly Twitter).
Article updated on December 27, 2023: added comparison with Toyota and GM.
Imagine: you have just bought your new Tesla. However, following a few hundred kilometers traveled on board, bam, the suspension suddenly breaks. Obviously, you will see the brand and ask it to replace the item under warranty… which the brand refuses, claiming a previous shock.
A fiction that has become reality for tens of thousands of brand owners. The press agency Archyde.com thus took up the problem and analyzed thousands of internal documents dated from 2016 to 2022. Conclusion: Tesla was fully aware of the fragility of certain elements, and this might have very real consequences for the American manufacturer.
Suspensions and steering, Tesla’s black spots
In this long investigation, three sources of breakage frequently recur: the suspension arms (aft-links), the control arms (control arms) and drive shafts (half shafts).
The figures are impressive: an internal document indicates that 3.9 million dollars (around 3.5 million euros) were spent by Tesla between April 2018 and April 2019 for these suspension problems via warranty, of which 1.3 million (1.2 million euros) dedicated solely to suspension arms. Over this period, Archyde.com estimates that 11,000 suspension arms were replaced, a third of which were out of warranty.
The suspension diagram of a Model S. Part no. 11 represents the aft link // Source: Tesla parts catalog
The study then focuses on a second period, going from January 2021 to March 2022. During these 15 months, the investigation estimates that 120,000 control arms and 66,000 transmission shafts were replaced. Model 3s were the majority of control arm breakages, while 90% of repairs were made under warranty.
All these reports were sent to the brand’s engineers, who tried to modify the offending parts several times, often without great results. Note, however, that an internal report from February 2022 ensures that the numerous modifications made to the suspension arms have finally borne fruit: all “ major defects » now seem resolved.
The powertrain of the Tesla Model S Plaid // Source: Tesla
Another problem, no less annoying: the Tesla steering seems not to be the most reliable, with a tendency to corrosion. There too,Archyde.comhas identified more than 400 cases of Model 3 and Model Y whose steering assistance had stopped working between late 2017 and early 2022, with a sharp increase in cases in the last few weeks.
Failure rates, compared to the number of cars in circulation, which remain much higher than what can be found among the competition. Also according to Archyde.com, 260 complaints concerning suspension and steering problems were reported to the American authorities by Tesla owners in 2023.
It takes 750 for General Motors cars (group of Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC and Buick) and 230 for Toyota during this same period, but these brands have much greater market shares: GM manufactured 21% of cars currently in circulation in the United States and Toyota 15%, compared to less than 1% for Tesla.
The best defense: attack
So we clearly understood: Tesla was fully aware of the major problems with its cars. However, the brand preferred to hide its weaknesses by accusing the drivers in question of “improper use of vehicle» or a “ previous shock » in order to clear customs. Elements of language were even transmitted to the workshops to know how to announce the news to customers!
Tesla Model Y // Source : Tesla
The reason ? By blaming the owners – even though, we understand, they were in no way responsible – Tesla might bill for out-of-warranty repairs. A way to stop the bleeding, one would be tempted to believe, when we discover that the brand had spent 263 million dollars (around 238 million euros) on guarantees in the first quarter of 2019 when it had not released that 139 million dollars (around 126 million euros) in profits.
A strategy widely criticized internally, as evidenced by numerous exchanges noted in the investigation, but which clearly continued – at least until certain official authorities decided to take a look at it.
China takes control, Norway and the United States investigate
Alerted, the public authorities obviously looked into these cases. China, for example, forced Tesla’s hand in 2020, by imposing a recall of more than 18,000 models of Model S & Model X to replace the famous suspension arm + control arm duo.
When the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the American federal agency in charge of road safety, asked Tesla if they intended to carry out this recall in the USA, the brand once once more kicked in.
The breakages were solely due to mistreatment of drivers and the recall only saw the light of day because the Chinese government had demanded it, the brand defends itself in mail. The NTHSA continues to investigate, but without any real action to date.
Something that might happen in Norway, Tesla’s overpopulated country: the NPRA (Norwegian Public Roads Administration), the local equivalent, has been investigating these repeated breakages since September 2022. It might, like China, force the brand to recall all Model S & Model X circulating in the territory. The conclusion might be reached in the next few days, Archyde.com tells us in a dedicated dispatch.
A decision that might snowball adds the article. If Norway requires or even recommends carrying out this recall, it will immediately notify Safety Gate, a European system that centralizes all safety alerts for non-food products. The latter will then relay the information to all European countries, which will then be able to apply (or not) this reminder.
Not to mention that the Archyde.com investigation, particularly detailed, might serve as a basis forclass actionsAmericans, a country always quick to go to trial.
Still, this is not a surprise either: the Tesla Model 3 is known for not being the most reliable, with rankings at the bottom of the pack in reliability studies. In this regard, the new version of 2023 promises great advances in terms of quality, but it will be necessary to judge over time. As for following-sales service, although it is far from winning all the votes, we explained to you why it was wrong to claim it to be “catastrophic”.
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