Tesla is the most unreliable used car brand in America, even behind Jeep and Chrysler

[integr8d]

It's weird, I watch a lot of reviews of Tesla. It doesn't matter whether the car is just a year or 2 old, or whether it has a couple of 100K miles on the clock, every user seems to rave about their cars. They praise the performance, the economy and the reliability. Most folk, even with a 100K on the clock, just state the only thing they pay for is electricity, tyres and the occasional set of new wiper blades. I guess this stands to reason as there's way fewer moving parts in an EV.

Some folk talk about the dangers of being BBQ'ed in an EV but the statistics say you're far more likely to have a fire in a petrol car. There was actually a big fire a year back at a car park in Luton airport and lots of vehicles were destroyed. People immediately started talking about the inherent dangers of EV's then. They went quiet when it turned out to be a diesel vehicle that started the fire.

The used price for EVs depends a lot on the range and manufacturer. This is simply because new technology and larger batteries have been developed plus there's a lot more competition now. It's not because the original cars have suddenly become faulty. Most Tesla owners, after 100k miles, state their cars offer the same performance as they did when new and about 90% of the range.

Most of the world is happy to buy electric because they're far more economical to run, they have way better performance and they're way more reliable. The rest of the world also has a decent electrical infrastructure to support them. The US has an oil lobby that pushes fossil vehicles in the same way the NRA pushes guns. The rest of the world looks on in amazement. The only thing that keeps me from buying a (used) Tesla is Elon. That and the fact I'm avoiding buying anything American at the moment if I can.

I've driven my Model Y Performance cross-country (L.A. to South Carolina) 4 times. The only problem I've ever had was a whistling noise near the windshield (which they fixed) and the charging port comms weren't working (and it couldn't have been at a worse possible time). Without knowing anything, I happened to notice that I had an update waiting. Figured it couldn't hurt. Ran it. An hour later, plugged in and all was well again. I was in the middle of a move and HAD to be out of my place w/I the next few hours. Slightly stressful.

The Model Y, at the time of its rating (and before Elon 'became a fascist'), was literally the safest car on the planet... And also the best selling.

 

[Alfatawi Mendel]

Dear Techspot,

I pay for a Techspot Elite subscription so that you can do journalism not spew out the propaganda from Consumer Reports. This is completely ridiculous and if you continue this I will cancel my subscription to TechSpot.

Please do thorough research on the criteria used by consumer reports!

- Equal Weighting of Minor vs. Major Issues
- Selective recall factors, like ford engine recalls not factored In
- Bias Toward CR's Demographic - IT was a survey not empirical data analysis!
- Overemphasis on New/Redesigned Models' Early Issues not longer term reliability
- Discrepancies with Other Studies - IE J.D. Power's 2025 Vehicle Dependability Study

I pay for unbias technology journalism, if you want my money in future please acknowledge this or I cancel. I am putting my annual renewal on hold until you do.

Thank you,

You're on the wrong site mate.
Everything these days is done for clicks and advertising revenue.
If you get REALLY lucky, a non-profit research site might provide you with what you're looking for. No commercial site ever will.

 

[toooooot]

Problems like steering system are a serious reason to consider other brands.
But as I was reading other common problems, most of them appear to be with sensors or software.
Is it even fair to compare a computer on wheels to someone much simpler using old and proven technology?
No, I do not think it is fair. BYD has a lot of issues of its own which are commonly reported by users in China. Tesla is doomed to be deemed unreliable for as long as it is a technology box on wheels.
Mechanicals problems are another thing. If they cannot get rid of those very expensive physical problems, they will be losing more and more money. I would not mind buying a used EV that is known to have software glitches. But I would never want to buy a used EV that has common mechanical problems like the problems with steering system.

In addition, Tesla desperately needs to refresh their design. It is too old, both inside and out. They need tp push very hard on achieving longer lasting batteries which at the same times should be cheaper in order to offer better prices to the customers. New design, better batteries, elimination of the most common defects. That is how they can gain more customers.

 

[Nictron]

You're on the wrong site mate.
Everything these days is done for clicks and advertising revenue.
If you get REALLY lucky, a non-profit research site might provide you with what you're looking for. No commercial site ever will.

I am fine with the click headline, that is not my problem. The content of the article is and the Techspot vision to be more than just a normal site. https://www.techspot.com/ethics.html

I get the headline click business, but then having an article that is not well researched especially with the capability to quickly query & research various angles with AI tools is not an excuse.

Rather be fair and centrist than a propogandist. That must be translated to Techspot staff if they expect me to continue to pay for Elite membership. If not I'll rather generate my own AI site with an AI tool and not pay for people anymore.

 

[Nictron]

They're simply reporting on Consumer Reports, so take your whining to them.

Btw ADAC, Germany's auto club also ranks them last, based on mandatory recurring technical inspections that Americans don't even have.

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...liability-among-all-20222023-cars-261596.html



Must be coincidental propaganda too.



Damn, the propaganda is strong with this one, too.

That would've been good research in the article & proves my point actually.
Journalistic integrity is important & part of Techspot's ethics: https://www.techspot.com/ethics.html

 

[Nictron]

Dear Nictron,

Research has proven that new EV's are equal in safety to old ICE and that doesn't include EV's deciding to barbecue their passengers for the lulz.

Thank you. (full stop, not comma)

You just proved that you missed the point!
Techspot ethics: https://www.techspot.com/ethics.html

 

[PXAbstraction]

"In January, the company recalled over 200,000 vehicles due to a software glitch affecting rearview cameras."

It should be pointed out that recalls like this are rarely even noticed by owners. They are fixed in software and an update is pushed to the car. The vast majority of Tesla "recalls" are exactly this.

True, but the safety issue still existed in the first place and was important enough to warrant a recall, even if performed by a software update. The cars should be properly quality controlled to not require this to begin with. And this isn't just a Tesla problem. Most modern car apps literally have a section to alert you of recalls. That shouldn't need to exist.

 

[AlphaTech]

Sorry, you're wasting your breath. This site is Ground Zero for Musk and Tesla bashing, either get onboard or prepare to be called a MAGA dirtbag. - There is no middle ground here.

It isn't just Tesla that they bash. They tried comparing used EV sales to used ICE sales and compared ev compact used values to the ICE Ford F150. Sorry folks, this isn't the place to find reliable unbiased EV news.

 

[Tantor]

Key takeaway from the Consumer Reports study.

- Newly purchased Teslas are very reliable.
- Used Teslas are very unreliable.

The question is when do Teslas become 'used', because that's when they become unreliable. Most people keep their cars for 7 to 8 years. This would indicate that Teslas start failing after 7 years.

I have a good friend who bought a used Tesla Plaid for very little. The battery was toasted so he paid an additional $20k for a new battery pack. After that it was a great car.

 

[integr8d]

True, but the safety issue still existed in the first place and was important enough to warrant a recall, even if performed by a software update. The cars should be properly quality controlled to not require this to begin with. And this isn't just a Tesla problem. Most modern car apps literally have a section to alert you of recalls. That shouldn't need to exist.

'Recall' has become an overused word. And it's not applied equally between ICE and EV... The issue that you're failing to grasp is that the Tesla is an iPhone on wheels. And once in a while, you issue a bad patch. Case in point: iOS/iPadOS/MacOS 26. At launch, complete and utter across-the-board dogsh*t. It's gotten better. But still... Other examples, 737 Max and F-35. Not exactly stellar records. And as software gets more complex, there will be more hiccups, obviously.

So when your job is to make a screw or a nut or a bolt, it's easy to say 'x should never have happened'. But when you're writing 100's of 1,000's of lines of code, things are gonna break.

Now here's the kicker. When Tesla WAS cranking out actual garbage... the progressive media couldn't have glazed Elon any harder. Cover of Rolling Stone 'He's the Real-Life Tony Stark', 'He's gonna save us from ourselves', and on and on. So that goes to show everyone just how political this really is. When Joe Biden invited all the auto manufacturers to the White House (except for Tesla) and pointed the Mary Bara LOL and said that 'she's leading the American EV industry', it couldn't have been any more obvious (and humiliating). But then again, this was the same guy who had a gaggle of T's bouncing up and down, topless, on the White House lawn... For all the screed put out by the purple-haired far left about Trump, they are literally no different. And ironically, for most of DT's life, he was a Democrat. Same with Kennedy. Same with Elon. Same with Tulsi... Square that one.

 

[opckieran]

22 years old. "New".

Tesla becoming a high volume global auto manufacturer in less than 2 decades, with the absurd litanty of regulations automakers face today, compared to the wild west the market was 100 years ago when the likes of Ford and Mercedes were around, is just insane.

Not to mention, they did that while SIMULTANEOUSLY pioneering and building the majority of the Western world's charging infrastructure too.

 

[KnightSayNI]

Liberal logic once again. The recent past: Tesla and EV the best invention ever. Now: Owner agrees with Trump on some things = Tesla is worst thing in the history of man.

 

[TempleOrion]

Liberal logic once again. The recent past: Tesla and EV the best invention ever. Now: Owner agrees with Trump on some things = Tesla is worst thing in the history of man.

Republicunts don't do logic. They live in a fantasy world conjured up by the oligarchs they think they'll one day join in golden fairytale land LMAO

 

[toooooot]

Key takeaway from the Consumer Reports study.

- Newly purchased Teslas are very reliable.
- Used Teslas are very unreliable.

The question is when do Teslas become 'used', because that's when they become unreliable. Most people keep their cars for 7 to 8 years. This would indicate that Teslas start failing after 7 years.

I have a good friend who bought a used Tesla Plaid for very little. The battery was toasted so he paid an additional $20k for a new battery pack. After that it was a great car.

The question is, could he get something better new at the price of that plaid + 20k.
What was it, 20+20? Or something more attractive like 10+20?
In any case, there are interesting options at that price.

 

[Shirley Dulcey]

Tesla has lots of recalls, but many of them are software fixes that get installed while your car is parked. Those aren't nearly as consequential for owners as recalls that require you to bring in your car. When ever somebody looks at their recalls, I'd like to see a breakdown of how many require physical servicing.

 

[Megalomaniac]

Dear Techspot,

I pay for a Techspot Elite subscription so that you can do journalism not spew out the propaganda from Consumer Reports. This is completely ridiculous and if you continue this I will cancel my subscription to TechSpot.

Please do thorough research on the criteria used by consumer reports!

- Equal Weighting of Minor vs. Major Issues
- Selective recall factors, like ford engine recalls not factored In
- Bias Toward CR's Demographic - IT was a survey not empirical data analysis!
- Overemphasis on New/Redesigned Models' Early Issues not longer term reliability
- Discrepancies with Other Studies - IE J.D. Power's 2025 Vehicle Dependability Study

I pay for unbias technology journalism, if you want my money in future please acknowledge this or I cancel. I am putting my annual renewal on hold until you do.

Thank you,

I'm sure Techspot will miss you!

 

[caesaregypt]

Liberal logic once again. The recent past: Tesla and EV the best invention ever. Now: Owner agrees with Trump on some things = Tesla is worst thing in the history of man.

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