Tesla is suffering from “quality woes” that affect its new high-end Model X SUV, the Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the article, some Model X owners have even found themselves locked out of their own vehicles.
The WSJ spoke to one Tesla Model X buyer who was waiting for her car to be picked up for repair.
According to the report, the doors on Anne Carter’s Model X – a car that costs $138,000 – “wouldn’t open as she prepared to driver her children’s carpool to school”.
Carter said: “It’s a bummer; you spent all this money…and the doors won’t open”, adding that she was worried friends would think: “Look at the Carters – they spent all this money and the doors don’t work.”
Tesla’s Jon McNeill, President of Sales and Service, told the WSJ that the issues with the falcon-wing doors are “largely behind us”, but some owners are still waiting for repairs.
One owner, Brad Ledwith, waited two weeks for his car to be fixed after the doors on his Model X stopped working.
“I think to myself, I am willing to concede a couple of things, but it is just I’m leasing this car for $1,350 per month. If it is out two weeks, that costs $700,” Ledwith complained.
Earlier this month, Tesla company was forced to recall 2,700 of the Model X SUVs over an issue with a latch that meant one of the seats would fold over during a crash.
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In a statement to TechCrunch, Tesla said: “While we have seen some issues with early Model X builds, the issues are not widespread, and we are working closely with each owner to respond quickly and proactively to address any problems.”
It continued: “We will continue to do so until each customer is fully satisfied. This commitment is one of the reasons why 98% of our customers say they will buy another Tesla as their next car.”
The Tesla Model X was announced in 2012, but only began shipping in September 2015. It’s an SUV developed from the full-size sedan platform of the Tesla Model S, and is produced as California’s Tesla Factory.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
