He called back about an hour later and said they would be replacing the drive unit and the high-voltage battery assembly.

A few days later I got another email "Your car will be returned today. We replaced a slightly out of spec right steering knuckle. And the drivetrain."

When Life Gives You Lemons...
By The Tesla Motors Team

April 9, 2014

We were taken by surprise by a lemon law claim recently filed against Tesla by a Wisconsin lawyer, describing himself as the "Lemon Law King", who says that we ignored his client's three demands for a buy-back after alleged problems with a Model S.

First, let us state that we believe in lemon laws – they exist to protect customers against cars that repeatedly suffer defects. That's a worthy thing to address. We also make a point of going above and beyond in customer service, which extends to buying back cars on fair terms from any customer who ultimately remains unsatisfied with their vehicle. We never want someone to be unhappy in their ownership of a Model S.

In this case, however, there are good reasons to be skeptical of the lawyer's motivations. The service record shows that the Tesla service team did everything reasonably possible to help his client and they were continuing their efforts to service his vehicle right up until the point the suit was filed with no warning. Indeed, our service team, which has been in contact with the customer numerous times since November, is still trying to resolve his stated concerns, many of which have elusive origins.

This lawyer's claim strikes us as unusual on several counts. For a start, it contradicts the general customer experience as measured by outside surveys. The annual Consumer Reports survey, for instance, gave Model S top marks for owner satisfaction, with a score of 99/100, the highest rating of any car ever. That doesn't mean a single customer can't have a bad overall experience, but it makes it highly unlikely. The claim also doesn't jibe with the other accolades afforded to the car, including Consumer Reports' "Best Overall" designation for its Top Picks 2014 awards, and the 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year award.

More tellingly, however, there are factual inaccuracies in the lawyer's story. The customer did not make three demands for a buy-back. The only time any such claim was made was in a legal form letter sent to Tesla in November 2013 as a prerequisite for pursuing the claim in Wisconsin. Our service team was in close contact with the customer both before and after we received the letter, and the possibility of a buy-back was never mentioned during those discussions.

To give you a sense of our service relationship with this customer, it's worth considering our efforts to resolve two of his main complaints. One related to malfunctioning door handles. Even though our service team wasn't able to replicate the issue with the door handles as described, we replaced all the handles anyway. Despite the fix, the customer said the problem persisted. We were never able to reproduce the alleged malfunction but offered to inspect the car again and are still trying to do so.

Another issue was that the car's fuse blew on three occasions. Each time, our engineers explored all possible explanations and were never able to find anything wrong with the car. Still, just to be sure, we replaced several parts that could have been related to the alleged problem – all at no expense to the customer. When the fuse kept blowing despite the new parts, and faced with no diagnosis showing anything wrong with the car, the engineers were moved to consider the possibility that the fuse had been tampered with. After investigating, they determined that the car's front trunk had been opened immediately before the fuse failure on each of the three occasions. (The fuse is accessed through the front trunk.) Ultimately, Tesla service applied non-tamper tape to the fuse switch. From that point on, the fuse performed flawlessly.

It's also of interest to note that this particular lawyer filed a lemon law suit against Volvo in February last year – on behalf of the very same client.

We are continuing our efforts to work with the customer and are happy to address any legitimate concerns he has about his Model S. Customer service remains of utmost importance to Tesla, and no Model S owner should be unhappy with their car. However, we would also like the public to be aware of the potential for lemon laws to be exploited by opportunistic lawyers.


Rebuttal to Tesla's Blog Post
April 10, 2014

In Response to Tesla Blog:

In this case, Tesla ignored three lemon law demands from its customer. Tesla received the refund demands under Wisconsin's Lemon Law on 11-25-13, 12-13-13 and 12-19-13. All demands were sent by certified mail, delivered and verifiable on USPS.com. Tesla erroneously states in its blog, "the customer did not make three demands for a buyback."

Under the demands, Tesla was given 30 days to provide a refund. The vehicle was presented four times for the same nonconformity, and the vehicle was out of service for 66 days – 36 more than is allowed under the lemon law. Failure to provide a refund within the 30-day time period constitutes a violation of the Wisconsin lemon law. Tesla did not provide the refund or respond in any way – no call, no letter, no blog post.

Service personal/auto mechanics do not have involvement in the decision to buy back a car. That decision is made by the manufacturer – Tesla Motors, Inc. In not responding to my client's demand, Tesla's decision was clear. Tesla should not be "taken by surprise" with the suit, or claim it was "filed with no warning." The warning came last November.

Tesla may "believe in lemon laws," it just doesn't know how they work.

Tesla takes the big corporation approach by attacking its customer, rather than addressing its own failures. Diminish the person – make everything his fault. Blame your customer for problems that have "elusive origins." Or, allege foul play because a "fuse blew on three occasions," and "engineers were moved to consider the possibility that the fuse had been tampered with." Why not instead be moved to consider that Tesla has a problematic Model S that they just can't fix?

It's common on Tesla forums that door handles don't work...that customers can't get in their cars. That is precisely that problem that has persisted in this case. Door handles not presenting is nothing new to Tesla.

My client filed a lawsuit against Tesla. It remains obligated under the terms of the warranty to continue to repair defects with the Model S, not because of customer service, not because Tesla wants a happy customer, but because Tesla is required to by law.

I too find it "of interest" that more than one manufacturer rolls out a lemon now and then. Just today Toyota recalled 6 Million vehicles, and in the past few months, GM recalled 5.1 Million. Maybe tomorrow Tesla will buy back a lemon or two.

As a member of the "public" I appreciate your company taking the time to provide a Public Service Announcement that Lemon Laws can be "exploited by opportunistic lawyers."

I too, have a Public Service Announcement: There are companies, great companies run by Billionaires, that force consumers to give up their Freedom of Speech and Right to Trial by Jury just for the opportunity to buy an electric car.

After investigating, they determined that the car's front trunk had been opened immediately before the fuse failure on each of the three occasions. (The fuse is accessed through the front trunk.) Ultimately, Tesla service applied non-tamper tape to the fuse switch. From that point on, the fuse performed flawlessly.

The folks Newport Convertible Engineering have made a specialty out of taking coupes and sedans and converting them into convertibles. Sometimes this results in absolutely weird creations like a Range Rover droptop, but its latest project is significantly greener. The company has developed hard and soft top conversions for the Tesla Model S, and they are already quite popular too. An investor in China has ordered 100 of them.

NCE has been working on creating the two versions of the convertible Model S for the last six months, and it involves a lot more than just cutting the roof off. "Some sections needed restructured," said Al Zadeh, the company's CEO, to Autoblog about the changes made to maintain rigidity. A soft-top conversion costs $29,000 and a hard-top $49,000. In addition to these prices, buyers must supply a donor vehicle. Production is due to start in July in California, Dubai, and Barcelona, Spain.

This might be just the beginning for NCE's convertible Model S. Zadeh says that the company has made an inquiry with Tesla about whether it could supply 5,000 cars for conversion to satisfy predicted demand. He will release more details on the project "when the time is right." Scroll down for NCE's official announcement of the 100-car order.

Press Release

Tesla S Convertible

Newport Convertible Engineering (NCE) has received 100 orders of Tesla Model S convertible from a chines investor. Production will start in July 2014 in 3 locations:

1) USA, CA
2) UAE, Dubai
3) Spain, Barcelona

Newport Convertible Engineering Headquarters: 16742 Burke Ln, Huntington Beach, CA (714)848-0011.

For our International clients: You may have your vehicle shipped to our main headquarters in the USA, California. You may also contact our main branch in the USA for booking your vehicle in our International facilities for convertible conversion either in Spain, Barcelona or UAE, Dubai.
Tel: 001 714 848 0011

Newport Convertible Engineering (NCE) has officially requested Tesla Motors in a joint effort to build another 5000 Tesla Model S convertible for a worldwide demand. Announcement will be made in April 18 2014.

Newport Convertible Engineering has been working on a Tesla Model S to develop a convertible version for last six months.

Newport Convertible Engineering offers two designs for Tesla Model S convertible:

1) Tesla Model S convertible with soft tonneau cover, price has been set for $29,000.00.
2) Tesla Model S convertible with hard tonneau cover, price has been set for $49,000.00.

Saleen has been dropping breadcrumbs about its plans to develop a modified version of the Tesla Model S for a while now, and has finally released the first renderings that show off its changes to the electric sedan.

The four renderings indicate a comprehensive makeover for Saleen's Tesla. The front bumper is completely different with the absence of a grille and new louvered air intakes at the corners. The turn signals on the quarter panel appear to be open now, and the hood has new creases angled toward the center. One of the renderings promises an additional carbon fiber rear diffuser, carbon-ceramic brakes and carbon fiber deckled trim. The rear also has a larger spoiler and more aggressive rear bumper with brake cooling ducts at the corners. The interior appears relatively untouched, but the seats and much of the upholstery has been covered in a mix of leather and Alcantara.

Previously, Saleen promised to amp up the Model S' performance even farther, but it still hasn't gone into detail about what it's changing or how much it is going to cost. "I fully intend to produce one of the most compelling Tesla's to ever hit the roadway," said Steve Saleen, company founder and CEO in an earlier statement. We have contacted Saleen for more details about its plans for the Model S, and we'll update this story when we hear back.

Ever since February, when Tesla officially announced that it would build a gigafactory to make the incredible number of lithium-ion batteries it expects to need to power its electric vehicles, we thought it would be located in one of four states. Those four states – Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada – have been lobbying the automaker ever since, hoping to hear that the new, $5-billion plant and its 6,500 jobs would set up shop within its borders. Turns out, two of them might get some good news soon.

CEO Elon Musk said Tesla will announce locations in "at least two" states where it could build the gigafactory, according to Bloomberg. He said, "What we're going to do is move forward with more than one state, at least two, all the way to breaking ground, just in case there's last-minute issues. The number one thing is we want to minimize the risk timing for the gigafactory to get up and running."

This isn't to say that Tesla will actually build two gigafactories (at least, not yet, but Musk hinted there may come a day when the automaker will need a second one), just that it is going to make sure there is no hiccup in the supply of lower-cost battery packs for the upcoming lower-cost Tesla EV, sometimes referred to as the Model E. The gigafactory is expected to not only produce more li-ion cells than were made globally in 2013 but also to reduce the cost of the overall pack by 30 percent, setting the stage for the $35,000 Tesla EV (estimated) to appear.

We'd like to give our heartfelt thanks to Ryan Block, former editor of Autoblog sister site Engadget, for sharing on Twitter one of the wackiest bits of anti-Tesla writings we've every come across. This is well beyond the anti-Tesla rage that once dominated conservative media coverage – it steps fully into tinfoil hat territory. We're not doctors, but perhaps someone needs lithium in its pharmaceutical form.

Did you know, for example, that, "By driving a Tesla, you are involved in organized crime"? Or that, "By driving a Tesla, you are saying you have no morals"? Or even that, "By driving a Tesla, you are supporting spying?"

Yes, friends, all this and more is explained (somewhat) in a small-font pamphlet that Block found, photographed and put up on Twitter yesterday. According to Block, the flyers have been distributed around San Francisco, being left anonymously on the windshields of parked Teslas. We can't quite follow all of the logic thrown together here, but it appears that someone is mad at the electric vehicle manufacturer for its ties to the government, Google and the media.

Then there's this: "Psychographic, demographic and marketing studies have been published showing that Tesla drivers have a higher-than-average inclination towards drugs, strange sexual behavior and risk." We don't know if Tesla drivers are as extreme as all that, but there was at least one Model S driver who was recently spotted doing some odd moves in and out of his sunroof (see video below). Did we mention that Model S seats are known to cause "**** itching"? Maybe it's all part of the conspiracy.

New shields add protection for the Tesla Model S battery after several road debris-caused fires. Consumer Reports gets our Model S test car updated and shows you the fix firsthand.

This Tesla Model S video review includes information about battery range, price, performance, interior and cargo space, and competitors. For more information, read the Tesla Model S review or check out the Edmunds.com Long-Term Test updates.