VIDEO: Are These MAJOR Quality Issues With The Tesla Model 3 Or Is This Consultant NITPICKING?

Wow...starting to look like amateur hour at Tesla!

The quality lapses are pretty horrific.

Sadly, I suspect that once these Model 3's start getting into accidents, that the body count will start to accumulate.

Tesla (whose management may be more of a braggart than the Trumpinator) has said virtually nothing about the safety of the Model 3 - which leads me to believe that (by omissions) there must be some terrible safety issues with the vehicle.

Remember the Model S a few years ago, near launch? It was repeatedly and very loudly touted as "safer than an S550" at every opportunity. I think time has proven it to be a reasonably safe car but I'm not sure there are any real statistics to corroborate a "Model S is safer than ____ and ____ and ____" type of assertion.

I hope I'm wrong, but if Tesla is knowingly marketing an unsafe vehicle, (in the words of Ivanka Trump about the film exec HW) "there is a special hell for people like that".

Everything else with the Model 3 has been rushed....so can we assume that safety testing was rushed too?

Be safe everybody.

Why do you say Tesla has made no comments about their crash worthiness? They talk extensively about it when the car came out. If you do a search, you can quickly find their comparison vs the Volvo S60. They have a side-by-side video showing their crash test vs Volvo stating they will get better grades than Volvo.

All =all new cars - have glitches. No matter how many zillions of miles they test the cars - they simply do not end up testing some of the things that real people do to them. In addition - when a new component is designed - they are designed for the lowest weight - often just good enough marginally to do the job. I have ALWAYS recommended you not buy the first year of production - that is when they beta-test the car on the consumer - and they find the real problems - which they recall - and fix - but the problems never get into the car the next year.

While gaps in body work may be unsightly - the fact is - that is all it is. It is unlikely to make a difference in the life of a car.

The safest cars are actually these very highly expensive exotic cars. THEY hardly ever get on a road - and never have a major accident in their museums. (Maybe except sink holes)

I don't think quality is going to be a problem for Tesla - enough to bring it down - it has too many other problems to wait for that

Most all new cars do not have the quality control lapses and unsafe design that the Model 3 has. The quality control lapses with the Model 3 are pretty amateurish.

All that matters, is if the people who buy a Tesla are happy with them. It really doesn't matter why, so long as they're happy. And Tesla really does seem to have very high customer satisfaction numbers, in spite of their unflattering defect numbers.

FWIW, I'm not a Tesla fan. But I realize lots of people are.

Agree that the panel gaps needs to be improved. It seems to be inconsistent, I haven't seen any gaps as bad as the video on the cars I have seen in person.

As for the comment on the door handles, that is a total non-issue. It is really easy to open with one hand, I think the guy in the video has some sort of disability. The doors are a little heavier than normal doors, but in a satisfying/sturdy way.

In the case of an accident, I think it will be very difficult to do enough damage to turn off the screen (like it is in the S/X). Most of his safety comments don't apply if the screen is on.

Actually there are several examples of Model 3 owners posting fit and finish issues.

The fact that there is no mechanism to open the rear doors if there is a failure of the electrical system is a huge issue. In the case of an accident where the electrical system is compromised it will be very difficult to get the rear occupants out quickly. Also the method of opening the front hood in an emergency situation is way too cumbersome...in an emergency situation having to fumble around with jumper cables and a battery is crazy...there should have been a simple mechanical linkage present to open the hood in an emergency.

No, these guys are not biased AT ALL. Kudos to the AutoSpies for being one the first to spread the video. The Kremlin is in awe! :p

Seems like major issues to me

Would be interesting to see how it will score in the iihs crash tests, as the model S only received an acceptable rating in the small overlap crash test, even after testing a second vehicle...

I spent about 20 min in a Model 3 yesterday. Didn't run across any of the issues mentioned in the video except for some less than ideal panel gaps and kind of an awkward area above the steering wheel mount in the dashboard that I feel should have some sort of cover. I opened the doors like 30 times, no issues at all to do it one handed. You can also just push the fat part of the handle without popping it out, the door opens about an inch which is enough to grab it from the side and open it.

Overall, the interior is more polished than the S with conveniences like door pockets and a really well thought out center console. The AC is also surprisingly fun to play around with.

Nice try to what?

@SanJoseDriver at least you admit you're a troll.

I'm not an effing troll dude, I'm sorry that my opinion is different that yours. Have a goddamn open mind. You have your favorite brands and I have mine, get over it. If we all liked the same things it would be a boring world.

As for the door pocket comment... that was exactly my point. The Model S is missing some key things that pretty much every other car has. Door pockets, coat hooks, a lit mirror (think they added that). The Model 3 has all of these small touches that the S lacked when it was released. They are not innovative, my point was that in many ways it is more refined than the S.

@SanJoseDriver You ARE a Tesla troll because ANYTHING that is posted here about Tesla draws an IMMEDIATE response from you that support the company line. You're also incredibly easy to trigger which is another tell tale sign of a troll.

@MDarringer in that case you defined yourself as well as a troll. Anything Tesla related incites and instant criticism from you, often not even related to what is discussed in the article. You also make critical, political, and sometimes childish comments about other posters that add 0 value whatsoever to the conversation.