mmarshall

Tesla's Model X SUV, unlike the highly-regarded Model S, seems to have run into a number of problems.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...business_pop_b

Tesla, the upstart all-electric automaker that once landed Consumer Reports' best-ever performance rating, has now achieved a far less impressive feat, with a ranking from the reviewer that labels it one the least reliable car companies in America.

The Consumer Reports' ranking, released Monday, places Tesla at no. 25 of 29 for reliability, with reviewers saying the automaker's new Model X SUV "has been plagued with malfunctions," including with the "falcon-wing doors" that have become its signature.

The rough review, based on annual surveys of the magazine's subscribers, marks only the latest hurdle for America's youngest major automaker, which has energized the country's scrawny electric-car industry but has also struggled with repeated production and delivery delays.

Tesla's sedan, the Model S, was recommended by reviewers after its reliability scores improved from what Consumer Reports last year called a "worse-than-average overall problem rate."

[Elon Musk admits the Tesla Model X was overly ambitious — but still ‘the best car ever’]

But the Model X, which first rolled out to drivers last year and now starts at $74,000, was panned by drivers frustrated by problems with doors, locks, latches, power equipment, in-car electronics and the climate system. It ranked last for reliability among a dozen luxury mid-sized SUVs.

"It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that there’s been mechanical problems with the Tesla Model X," Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, said in an interview.

"They’ve taken this very basic platform with the Model X and added so many overly complicated features: the front doors are power automated, the middle-row seats are on power sliders," Fisher said. "All those things add up in a way that can bring the platform down."

Musk, Tesla's billionaire commander, has said himself that the Model X — with its single-pane windshield-roof and air-filtering "bioweapon defense mode" — may have been a bit too ambitious.

"In retrospect, it would've been a better decision to do fewer things with the first version of Model X," Musk said in February. "I think there was some hubris there with the X," he added, before reiterating that it was "the best car ever."

A Tesla spokesperson said the company had resolved many issues since the Consumer Reports survey was conducted last spring, and pointed to other industry awards, including industry consultant AutoPacific's recent ranking of Tesla as "the most satisfying premium brand."

"We are committed to making the world's most reliable cars," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The amount of issues we’ve addressed with Model X has fallen by 92 percent in the last 12 months, a reflection of our ability to make continuous improvements and react quickly.”



Consumer Reports reviewers also said they had "serious concerns" about how Tesla and other automakers had designed and marketed semi-autonomous technologies such as Tesla's "Autopilot," which can accomplish many of the tasks of driving, such as changing lanes and keeping speed on the highway, but not fully drive the car itself.

Crashes by Autopilot-equipped cars, including a fatal Florida crash in May, have led critics to suggest Tesla is dangerously touting the cars' self-driving capabilities. Consumer Reports has now placed alerts on Tesla's cars saying "automakers should take stronger steps" to ensure the systems are deployed safely.

Tesla beat only Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat and Ram in the reviewer's reliability rankings. Lexus, Toyota and Buick -- established automakers offering many more models than Tesla-- topped the charts.

dseag2

It was off to a rocky start on looks alone.

Sulu

...too gimmicky...

Aron9000

^^ Agreed and ^ Agreed

Sounds like Tesla released a half baked model out to the public without doing the same vigirous reliability and durability testing most other makes do. Figured, eh, we'll sort it out with a software update later. The automatic software updates Tesla does are cool, if its adding features to the car, but at the same time pretty lame if you're fixing lines of code/issues that shouldn't have been there to start with.

RXSF

The model S was also notoriously unreliable, but that doesn't stop people who want a Tesla. I see tons of Xs on the street

pman6

I want to see cars with front and rear koenigsegg doors. Doors that pivot vertically.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

I see too many of them as their dealership is right in front of my house... and model X owners always want to pick on me for a race entering the highway :/

peteharvey

Do you race them?
If so, who wins?

doge

Doesn't seem to be affecting sales, early adopter will continue to early adopt. Its not as much of an issue with this model, it will be with the 3.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

I didn't, I don't like floor the throttle a minute after starting the engine, as I always see them after leaving my house. But I don't think I can win a prepared model X 90D for 0-60 or quarter, just as a M5 can't beat a D90-100 in street short race.

But for the record, I did win against a M5 getting on highway, and my neighbor's R8 V8 XD

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

that's california. haven't seen one in florida, and tesla s is rare too.

mmarshall

Do you have any close-by dealerships there in FL? (They are company-owned shops/buisnesses, of course, not traditional franchises). We have a shop here in NoVA, just a couple of miles from my house, but it typically keeps little or nothing in stock. I couldn't even do a test-drive there.

coolsaber

Do you think Model X owners or potential owners lost sleep over a consumer reports article....If so I`d like to see the terrible sales losses incurred by Range Rover after being continuously placed dead last.

As said, the category in which Tesla markets their X and S vehicles does not care.

mmarshall

Probably apples and oranges. The RR has been on the market for decades, and has developed a cult-like following with well-heeled suburbanites and the country-club set, despite its noted reliability deficiencies. The Model X, by comparison, is brand-new to the marketplace.

coolsaber

True, but the Tesla brand has in a short time amassed quite a cult of its own. These buyers are doing horizontal transfers basically. The Xs boutique like sales strategy is quite appealing to the average RR buyer.