Consumer Reports Says Long Term Tesla Model S Has "More Than Its Share Of Problems"

Consumer Reports, which last year gave top marks to electric carmaker Tesla Motors Inc.'s Model S sedan, now says the car it owns has had "more than its share of problems."

While the car has impressed staff at the influential U.S. consumer magazine with its "smoothness, effortless glide and clever, elegant simplicity," there have been many quirks that might dampen consumers' experiences, Consumer Reports said in a statement on Monday.

Consumer Reports, which anonymously buys the vehicles it tests from auto dealerships, said Monday the Model S it owns now has traveled nearly 16,000 miles. Its 2013 Model S was purchased for $89,650 in January of that year.

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USNA1999 - 8/12/2014 10:16:39 AM

+2 Boost

Wait, wasn't this the highest rated car at Consumer Reports? What a POS publication CR is. LoL!

MattDarringer - 8/12/2014 10:26:44 AM

-1 Boost

CR is POS. They laud the Model S without any data and then they live with one and discover it's a stinking pile of crap.

MattDarringer - 8/12/2014 10:24:54 AM

+2 Boost

What did people expect of Tesla? Prior to the Model S they were dumping batteries into Lotuses and calling themselves a manufacturer. Tesla had ZERO experience in designing vehicles and everyone was praising Musk for his brilliance. EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES!

Sciros - 8/12/2014 1:08:19 PM

+4 Boost

"the center screen went blank, eliminating access to just about every function of the car ... and problems with the automatic retracting door handles, which were occasionally reluctant to emerge."

Ummm OK those aren't even 'minor' issues those are like "my car is now worse than 95% of shit on the road". If nothing is accessible... and if sometimes the CAR is not accessible... that's pretty sad. But that's the thing about electronics. I have a very nice smartphone and a very nice laptop and a nice desktop but even so they have failure rates (of kernel panics/restarts/freezes/etc.) that are WAY beyond what I would consider acceptable in an automobile, and autos are slowly becoming entirely dependent on AT BEST that level of technology.

iamdabest1 - 8/12/2014 4:14:12 PM

+3 Boost

saw a fisker karma on the road a couple of days ago, really wish that car was made better, i think it is MUCH nicer looking than the tesla.
when i see tesla on the road, i think its nice, but not 90k nice.

mre30 - 8/13/2014 5:38:50 PM

+1 Boost

I don't quite get people's infatuation with the Tesla. Its "cool"..I get that. But so many open questions - (a) what's the resale/residual value; (b) how does Musk support a 4 year old Tesla? Is it like a 4-year old I-Phone that's unsupported, obsolete and essentially useless?(c) how toxic, really, will all those batteries be, once they end up in landfills?; (d) at what point does Tesla's service and support (i.e. flatbedding dead Teslas in need of repair to the service center) break down in a flaming pile of burning cash? (e) when does Tesla really make money?

I wish somebody on Wall Street would ask them these questions.

mre30 - 8/13/2014 5:45:55 PM

+1 Boost

By the way...just checked on Ebay Motors and there are NO Tesla's for sale. Then, curious now, I checked on www.cars.com and there are two very vague ad's for 2013 Tesla's for sale but no prices noted (aside from a vague price range).

Makes me think that the big smoking gun with the whole Tesla story (house of cards anyone) is that Musk and Tesla are either buying back or propping up resale values of the Tesla's on the secondary market so as not to tip off the public to any issues with their cars.

We need an investigative journalist to jump on this one.

scenicbyway12 - 8/13/2014 7:46:36 PM

+1 Boost

Just checked "Autotrader.com" they have 15 available from 90k to 102k

cidflekken - 8/14/2014 3:37:15 AM

+1 Boost

I found at least 7 Tesla Model S @ ebay motors.