When it rains, it pours, and Tesla is learning that lesson the hard way. After an already-difficult 2018, the electric carmaker isn't off to the best start this year.
They've been slapped with (relatively minor) OSHA fines and forced to slash their staff by a whopping seven percent. Now, their bottom line may be about to take another hit, albeit a smaller one.
Consumer Reports (CR) has reversed its decision to "Recommend" Tesla's mid-range Model 3 sedan. For those who aren't up-to-date on CR's history with Tesla, this marks the third time CR has changed its mind about the vehicle.
First, the outlet gave the Model 3 a "not recommended" rating due to safety issues, particularly problems with the car's braking distance.
Tesla was quick to address most of those issues with an over-the-air software update, and after the outlet had a chance to test the vehicle out again, CR decided to recommend it after all.
Now, as stated before, the Model 3 has lost CR's trust yet again. This time, the website cites "declining reliability" as the primary reason for their retracted recommendation. The following newly-added excerpt from CR's full Model 3 review summarizes their concerns:
Model 3 owners in our spring survey sample reported some body hardware and in-car electronics problems, such as the screen freezing, which we have seen with other Tesla models. The latest survey data also shows complaints about paint and trim issues. In addition, some members reported that the Model 3's sole display screen acted strangely.
Tesla, for its part, says CR's data – which was obtained from its annual springtime consumer survey – is outdated.
"This new data from Consumer Reports comes from their annual Owner Satisfaction survey... so the vast majority of these issues have already been corrected through design and manufacturing improvements," Tesla spokesman Rich Otto said in a statement.