Tesla Struggled with Quality in 2020 and it Didn’t Hurt Them
By: Dan Straub
Tags: Tesla Model Y, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Motors, Tesla

Photo by Dan Straub

If you told me a year ago that the next car I purchased would need service within the first month of ownership for a factory defect, I would have laughed at this negative prospect. Who would pay for a brand new car (something many people avoid altogether) knowing they would likely take delivery of it and find something that needs to be fixed? Pehaps I am not of as sound mind as I would like to think, but I did exactly that when I decided to trade in my Jeep for a 2020 Tesla Model 3.

Technological Superiority Meets Production Hell

Before I dive into my own Tesla experience, some context around the Model 3 is important to understand what this car meant for Tesla and electric vehicles in general. The Model 3 was Tesla’s first official attempt at a mass market all electric vehicle. And while in hindsight I would disagree with a base price near $40,000 being “mass market”, the introduction of this vehicle catalyzed a fervor for Tesla that has yet to diminish. Over the air software updates, a range greater than 300 miles, blistering acceleration, and the potential to drive itself lead to a demand that has ultimately crowned Tesla as the world’s most valuable car company. But rather than digressing into the ravings of an alleged Tesla fanboy, the kind of demand Tesla saw for its Model 3 also meant that an inexperienced auto manufacturer had to pump out a large amount of vehicles to satiate its order backlog. And this is where production hell lead to some pretty disappointing outcomes.

Gaps, Gaffs, and Gas

Its now been just over a year since I took delivery of my Model 3 and within the first several months I was able to identify four fit and finish defects. Three of them I considered to be minor and involved an uneven trunk seal, charge port misalignment, and door alignment. To an auto purist, uneven body panel gaps and misalignment of any sort are manufacturing sacrilage. Surely no self respecting BMW, Rolls Royce, or Bentley would roll off the assembly line with such a heinous defect. Holding a company less than 20 years old to the standards of a handmade Rolls Royce is in my opinion ridiculous. Nonetheless, in any discussion about Tesla quality the topic of panel gaps always rears its head from the nay sayers. And while no one wants a car that lacks symmetry and looks uneven, panel gaps are something you have to really look for and in some cases measure, which is something the average consumer is unlikely to do. Regardless though, I can confirm that my Model 3 has even panel gaps. The misaligned charge port and door are maybe off by a few millimeters which in no way detracts from their functionality.

By now you will likely notice I have failed to discuss the mysterious fourth defect which incidentally did require me to request a service appointment with Tesla. And perhaps to your surprise I will bluntly state that this defect was flat out unacceptable in a car at this price point. After several car washes and some rainy weather, I noticed one of the rear tail lights was looking rather foggy. Despite the light having ports to allow condensation to escape, more and more condensed water was collecting and eventually formed a small pool in the corner of the lamp housing. There was clearly an issue with how the lamp housing was sealed and after a few scrolls through the Tesla app and some picture uploads, I had a scheduled appointment at the Tesla service center. Two weeks later I arrived for my appointment and in no more than twenty minutes, my rear tail light was replaced free of charge under my vehicle’s warranty. Not bad right? Although at its core it was frustrating to have to repair the car so soon after purchase, the ease of setting up the appointment through the app and speed of the repair perhaps speaks to Tesla’s willingness to correct its errors and provide an excellent experience.

You’re Buying an Experience

I know I am not alone in experiencing quality issues from Tesla manufacturing and a quick perusal of YouTube or the Tesla Forum itself can validate this. However, most current owners I speak to cannot help but say that their Tesla is the best vehicle they have every owned. So how can a company with a reputation for such defects not only remain profitable but garner a market cap in excess of $500 billion? Plain and simple: the Tesla experience. Like no other auto maker before it, Tesla is not selling you a car, they are selling you an experience. They have abandoned all conventional ways of selling cars whether it be the absolute disregard for any dealership model or the fact that you design and order your Tesla entirely online. There is no negotiation and all costs are spelled out up front at the time of your order. Model years do not exist with Tesla vehicles and their incremental refinements are more fluid through over the air software udpates to all owners.

Is there a feature you would like to see added? Tweet at Elon Musk and if its worthwhile you might see it in the next update. Do you dread long road trips? Turn on autopilot and let the car maintain speed, pass slower traffic, and steer for you under some light supervision (your hand on the wheel). Worried about draining your battery? Input your destination into the navigation system and it will route you based on supercharger location and tell you how long to stay and charge for (not to mention it will also tell you how many chargers are available and if there are any nearby amenities while you wait). Tesla has made it incredibly easy to own an electric vehicle and I can honestly say that I will never go back to an internal combustion engine. They have refined the act of driving by removing things we thought we needed (traditional gauges, buttons, and knobs) and in their place gave us features we did not know would be useful. So when it really comes down to it, Tesla may still struggle with quality and production hell, but their experience is so vastly superior that trivialities like panel gaps become inconsequential.