Tesla: “Steering wheel that comes loose on the road is not a defect, not a warranty case”
A new car that loses its steering wheel en route… BMW, Peugeot, Toyota, or any other automaker would walk through the dust and at least announce a recall. But not Tesla. Elon Musk’s company does not even speak of a defect.
An American Tesla driver was driving his brand new Model Y when he suddenly held the steering wheel loosely in his hand. He had picked up his car just a week earlier.
Tesla charges $100 for repairs
The amazing thing after that was that the Tesla Service Center wanted to charge him $100 for the repair. Only after the man advertised (ironically on Twitter), it was suddenly possible for free.
After much deliberation, Tesla decided to buy back the Model Y and give the cheated buyer a new one. However, the dogs don’t like the bread of the accompanying email.
No, a loose steering wheel is not a defect
“We found that the vehicle has no defects and that there is no breach of contract,” writes the American manufacturer. “There is nothing under warranty that Tesla is liable for.” As if a loose steering wheel were perfectly normal…
The brand continues in a decidedly arrogant tone: “As a show of goodwill towards you, our valued customer, we have decided to buy the car back. Provided it is returned undamaged.” The latter is a nice ironic addition.
Quality problems are not new
Quality issues are nothing new to Tesla. A Model 3 had its panoramic roof blown off, another Model 3 left the factory without brake pads and three years ago a steering wheel was lost. One would expect Tesla to learn from this.
We are excited to see how this will develop over the next few years. More established brands are offering electric models that can compete with Tesla, and they generally have decent quality and customer service.
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