Why Do Some Brands Get Away With Terrible Quality?

Yet they remain smug in almost anything they do.

Bankruptcy in 2018 or 2019 latest. Right now a mere 655 Model 3s are being made per week. And the more they make, the more money Telsa loses. $24 billion in liabilities that will not be paid back. Customer deposits will go poof!

This Tesla phenomenon is about to go "poof". Because:

(a) MUCH higher than expected battery prices making Model 3 non-economic

(b) Labor problems with the Fremont plant - OSHA on the case - worker injuries are higher than averages

(c) Working capital miscalculations - leading to cash hemorrhaging.

(d) Quality issues due to all of the above (corners perhaps being cut)

Hard to predict when it all collapses - but the first time Tesla can't raise money from the bond market is the sign it about to come crashing down. It will be a liquidation because there is nothing left to restructure.

In the unlikely event there is a restructuring, Musk will be forced out and then what is left?

Tesla also has no unique technology, nothing to give them an edge. Anybody can build a very similar car. Soon, many will. It is mainly a cult of personality.
If GM or Toyota built the Model S it would not have the traction Elon Musk has generated by essential being a celebrity, the Car-dashian.

"The build quality was the worst we have seen on any new car from any maker over the last 10 years." - Quote from the linked review by Green Car Reports.

Hard to imagine a worse situation. But it just got worse - their Chief Accounting Officer just quit yesterday. I'm guessing he doesn't want to sign the Q1 financials and potentially risk facing criminal charges. If the future was so bright at Tesla, why on earth would he quit?

Here's a good video explaining why Tesla has this weird conditions of lots of product defects + evangelical fans that see no problem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEbvYcP89lg&index=1&list=LLzszJmBMwFMQMSUAt1SLCWw&t=0s

Because fanboys.

I always wonder how GM, Ford and FCA get away with their quality. I suspect many think they are getting a bargain price.
The compensation for many premium models (German especially) is the lease and never commit to ownership. Subscriptions could be the next enabler.

How long have Jaguar, Land Rover, and any Italian make been in existence with poor quality? In contrast how many Toyota's or Honda's do you see burnt to the ground at the side of the road? Or that won't start 2 weeks after you buy them? That need a transmission replaced in the first year like an FCA minivan owner I know. Many brands exist without the quality that consumers of Japanese cars have taken for granted for decades. It should not be the case, but it is...

Back in the day - when Mitsubishi was making several cars for Chrysler - at the same plant - on the same assembly line - the Chrysler cars were rated much lower than the Eclipse was from Chrysler. THe same happened when Toyota and GM produced the Corolla/Malibu as well.

The problem is - what you are willing to consider nuisance complaints - and what you consider to be real quality issues - I note that today - the biggest complaints we seem to see are with the Audio/Video systems - which are more a complaint than a defect.

I also note that no matter what car you choose - if it is mass produced - someone will have their Transmission replaced in the first year -and someone will have an engine replaced that way too. A warranty is largely there to cover "defects" - and in a assembly line - you CAN get into trouble when ALL of the "variances" go to one direction instead of some plus a little and some minus a little and cancel each other out. The problem is - people who buy for quality do not want to admit they did not get it - which is why VW and Audi get better grades than they deserve.

Actually it was Corolla and Nova/Prism, which became was GMs most reliable vehicle, probably even by todays level.
The best source is CR where they identify the problem/repaired subsystem.
If you are okay with "nuisance" issues, that is your option. I purchase for long term ownership in mind, where both user experience and cost of ownership is a priority. Others that lease or trade every 3-5 years may have different priorities.