Tesla service needs a tune-up

Tesla wants to eliminate service. That hasn't happened yet. Hey there, This week, we have a special report about Tesla from Rebecca Heilweil based on over 1,000 complaints about the company submitted to the FTC. Below is just an excerpt, so be sure to [check out the full story here](. And thanks for reading! —Adam Clark Estes, Recode editor   People love their Teslas. Fixing them, not so much. A brand-new Model 3 delivered in desperate need of repair, due to a faulty computer, an inoperable wireless phone charger, and a missing USB port. A supposedly fixed Tesla returned unfixed, and with something spilled on the car, damaging the paint. A dead mouse and rat poison discovered in a Tesla’s front trunk after a trip to the local service center. These are just a few of the issues about Tesla service that customers have flagged in complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Through a public records request, Recode obtained details about more than 1,000 complaints about Tesla, including more than 120 customer reports that discussed specific problems with service, delays, and parts. These reports reflect a growing frustration with the company over its approach to maintenance and repairs — discontent that’s[echoed]([everywhere]([from]([Tesla]([owner]([Reddit]([posts]([to]([online forums]([for Tesla shareholders]( to the more than 9,000 reports that the company’s customers have sent to the Better Business Bureau. The complaints point to all sorts of problems with the experience of owning a Tesla vehicle, including an inadequate number of service centers, limited stock of replacement parts, bad communication, poor manufacturing quality, and long wait times for repair appointments. Part of the frustration is that EVs are supposed to be easier to maintain than internal combustion vehicles. They don’t need oil changes, have fewer moving parts, and use [regenerative braking](, which means [brake pads last longer](. Tesla even [says]( that it “designs every Tesla vehicle with the goal of eliminating the need for service.” Among car owners who do need service, however, Tesla drivers tend to visit service centers at nearly the same rate as the owners of premium gas-powered vehicles, such as Lexus or Audi, according to data the consumer research firm J.D. Power shared with Recode. Based on customer feedback, service does not seem to be Tesla’s strong suit. Back in 2019, more than 20 percent of Model 3 owners surveyed by Bloomberg were unhappy with the [timeliness of service](. A [Bernstein survey]( of people who owned Teslas in 2018 found that while people loved their cars, issues with the company’s maintenance and repair offerings didn’t seem to be improving. The fact that Tesla advertises that its cars require less service might explain[some]([of]([this]([frustration](. “Service has been a problem, but it has not affected sales in the least bit,” Rich Benoit, who runs [a YouTube channel]( focused on Tesla repairs, explained. “So Tesla will not focus on this service issue until they see a decline in sales. So this really isn’t a problem for them.” [Shoddy manufacturing]( could be contributing to the high demand for Tesla service appointments. J.D. Power listed Tesla toward the [bottom of its June initial quality survey]( — which measures how well new vehicles are built — and the company’s cars were [second-to-last on Consumer Report’s 2021 reliability]( rankings. Tesla’s general approach to service is also frustrating some customers. While automakers like Ford and GM enlist a network of thousands of dealerships and independent mechanics to fix their vehicles, it appears the vast majority of Tesla repairs tend to be completed by Tesla technicians employed or authorized by the company. Tesla warns customers that damage or failures caused by technicians who aren’t Tesla-certified won’t be covered by the company’s [warranty policy](. In the past, Tesla has also opposed [legislation]( that supports the right-to-repair movement, which advocates for making it easier for people to repair their own devices and equipment. Recode reached out to Tesla with a request for comment about these complaints and to ask about the state of Tesla service. The company, which [disbanded]( its public relations team in 2020, did not respond. Electric vehicles are still relatively new, and [many mechanics]( don’t have much experience fixing them. By contrast, since internal combustion vehicles have been around for over a century, it’s no surprise that there’s already a well-developed infrastructure for repairing them. Plenty of people still encounter issues with their gas vehicles, but they certainly have more options for getting them fixed. Overall, it’s difficult to make an apples-to-apples comparison about what ideal service should look like for EVs, compared to internal combustion vehicles, since the cars — and the way companies repair them — work differently. That said, major criticisms of Tesla’s service model have been around for years, and it’s not clear that the situation is getting better. While CEO Elon Musk [has long promised]( to expand service coverage, it seems as though Tesla’s focus on manufacturing — and selling more cars to more new customers — still comes before fixing the cars that people have already purchased. “Booking service at the centers is often a month or so out, as every time I’ve needed service they’ve been booked out for weeks, if not months. And it’s difficult to get real answers,” explained Jason Fenske, who [posted a video]( about his experience with Tesla service. Fenske, a YouTuber who focuses on cars, says he loves his Tesla, but argues that service is harder to schedule compared to his experience with Subaru. Despite customers’ and shareholders’ concerns about service, the problem may only get worse as Tesla builds and ships more vehicles. The company manufactured nearly half a million cars and SUVs in 2020, close to a million new vehicles in 2021, and aims to produce 2 million more by the end of 2022. It’s hard to compare Tesla with companies like GM and Ford, since legacy automakers use different approaches to fixing their vehicles. But while EV service might seem like a Tesla-specific problem right now, the same issues could emerge as more companies’ electric vehicles hit the road. [Lucid]( and [Rivian](, two Tesla competitors that started selling vehicles last year, are already mimicking Tesla’s approach by combining mobile service fleets and their own service centers. J.D. Power [notes]( that overall service satisfaction for EVs is still significantly lower than for internal combustion vehicles. Time is of the essence: The Teslas people already own are getting older, and many more of the company’s vehicles should hit the road within the next few years. All of those cars will need service at some point. But whether or not those cars will get those repairs quickly, correctly, and easily remains to be seen. —Rebecca Heilweil, reporter [Read the full story here](   [An illustration of a Tesla car with its doors flying off and a stack of tires beside it.]( Christina Animashaun/Vox; Getty Images [Missing parts, long waits, and a dead mouse: The perils of getting a Tesla fixed]( [Tesla wants to eliminate the need for service. 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