Tesla tanks in US quality survey
EV pioneer comes last in JD Power rankings as Kia and Dodge tie for top honoursTesla has been ranked last out of 33 car-makers in the latest JD Power Initial Quality Survey, after US owners took part in the study for the very first time.
According to the respected survey of new-vehicle reliability and customer satisfaction, Tesla owners experienced an average of 2.5 problems per car, ranking it behind Audi and Land Rover.
That's compared to the 1.66 problems per vehicle average reported by American consumer, while buyers of Kia and Dodge vehicles encountered half the number of problems as Tesla customers.
Originally, Tesla Motors declined to participate in the reliability survey in 15 US states where it had the power to refuse, but JD Power reportedly found enough data in the other 35 states to accurately ascertain just how bad its quality levels are.
To get the result, JD Power surveyed 1200 Tesla owners without the company's co-operation.
Most of the complaints did not involve the batteries or electric motors, said JD Power, but "basic manufacturing of the vehicle".
Many of the flaws noted were said to be of the type solved by legacy car-makers 10 years ago, with Tesla models attracting frequent reports of faulty exterior parts.
Tesla lowly ranking in the customer satisfaction survey follows plenty of similar anecdotal evidence from owners of all models.
Most recently, Model Y owners reported that their cars were being delivered with misaligned body panels, seats that were not attached properly, water leaks and bumpers that fell off in the rain. Faulty door seals were also reported.
Just this week, leaked internal emails received by the
newspaper revealed that some Tesla Model S vehicles made during 2012-2016 were afflicted by defective cooling lines that could allow glycol coolant to come into contact with a hot battery, potentially resulting in an explosive fire.Apart from Tesla's woeful result, Dodge tying with Kia was another big surprise of this year's survey.
After interviewing owners of the Challenger, Charger, Journey, Grand Caravan and Durango, JD Power found they reported just 136 problems per 100 vehicles – exactly the same as customers of Kia, which has previously topped the survey.
This year, the JD Power Initial Quality Survey was altered to include more questions about infotainment systems and other technologies.
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