Consumer Reports Rates Tesla Model S Reliability As Only "Average" - So Would YOU Still Recommend It?

It's really interesting but it seems like not a single American car company knows how to make a reliable car.

If anything, GM at least makes their big trucks very reliable.

And Tesla? I mean really? Bad design, and bad reliability. People call it like a big deal, but in reality, no one really gives a flying funk about this brand.

Quote from Consumer reports - Japan is not immune (does not include Takata Japan's stellar reliability):

Certainly road test scores knock more than a few cars from the running, such as the Fiat 500, Mitsubishi Mirage, and Toyota Yaris. Most modern cars do well in nearly all crash tests, with the exception of the relatively new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s tough small overlap frontal test, which bumped good performing vehicles such as the Toyota RAV4 from our consideration. And then there is reliability.
This year, the models that now have sufficient data but are below average include:

Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Fiat 500L
GMC Sierra 1500
Infiniti Q50
Jeep Cherokee
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Volkswagen Jetta (1.8T)

Each year, we also find several cars that have declining reliability, bumping them off our recommended list. This can be caused by problems that emerge after cars accumulate more miles and face more seasons. Whatever the cause, dwindling reliability has led to the following models losing their Consumer Reports recommendation.

BMW 328i (RWD)
Cadillac ATS (turbo)
Chevrolet Sonic
Chrysler 300
Infiniti QX60
Mercedes-Benz M-Class (non-diesel)
Ram 1500 (V8, 4WD)

What have we learned from this:
- Many Japanese cars drive like toasters on wheels
- The Toyota RAV4 may kill you (with or without Takata Airbags)
- Infinity has noticeable quality issue

If you want to use Consumer reports for you guide - - - carry on good man.

I never said anything about using CR as a source for anything, or did I? The American cars generally being unreliable, is a "proven" fact by many consumers themselves.

And no one really takes you seriously if you "still" have troubles spelling the name Infinit"I"

And the resident troll is to be taken seriously? I have been on this site of a longtime now and have seen many personalities come and go. I have to admit, you have the weirdest responses going. My hat it off to you. You are tenacious if nothing else.

Once again. Infiniti is spelled Infiniti, not Infinity.

And I am a troll? More like you are one.

The Tesla Model S beat the Mercedes S class in reliability. That is what it is competing with. Consumer Reports also noted reliability of the Tesla Model S improving. Remember, the reliability is based on first year production Tesla Model S. First year production models are known to have lower reliability, as Tesla sorts through suppliers, the reliability is improving.

As far as GM, their reliability has been pretty bad, even on the trucks.

If GM's marketing-infatuated execs devoted a fraction of the millions they blow on celebrities and sports sponsorships instead into actually overhauling their department responsible for long-term testing and LONG-TERM reliability, they might actually regain some of the customers they've lost to MORE RELIABLE COMPETITORS such as Hyundai and Nissan.

Shame on GM management for failing to devote adequate resources to finding and eliminating the shoddy engineering
responsible for the many long-term defects which seem to pop up endlessly in their vehicles.

Sure. Nothing wrong with average. It's not below average as are many other cars in this price range (from Europe and a few from Asia).

That is part of the problem I have talked about before - since it is the cost of repairs that will ultimately determine the value of the car for the second and third owners.

And as long as Tesla attempts to create a repair monopoly at least in some cases where they do not even allow you to purchase the parts to repair the vehicle - later owners will have enormous repair bills just for towing to the few service outlets.

ANd since I would NOT recommend the car because of this before - it has only gotten worse

Tom, not sure what you mean. Tesla has no plans to make profit off repairs according to their policy. But they also allow for 3rd party certified repair shops so there is no monopoly on repairs.

In terms of parts, Tesla is a new manufacturer and a lot of the parts they make in-house have no aftermarket. Give it some time and after market parts will flood the market. There have already been some aftermarkets for spoilers and front bumper and it will continue from there.

I wouldn't recommend a Tesla simply this is their FIRST CAR (bolting batteries into a Lotus doesn't count) and there is no longitudinal data on durability and reliability. If this were a $35K car MAYBE, but to throw down Mercedes money for a totally unproven car is idiocy.

Indeed, Mercedes is proven unreliability so I see your point >_>

Except you missed the fact that Mercedes ranked lower in reliability than Tesla. Maybe when Mercedes gets the experience of building cars on par with Tesla people will think it makes sense throwing down Tesla kind of money on a Mercedes?