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People have been saying that for years at this point, and yet the quality problems remain. How much more time does Tesla need?

hn_throwaway_99 6y ago
The example from this article is from the Model Y, which just began shipping in March. Tesla is still in a huge rampup growth phase where their manufacturing processes aren't yet stable. I don't think Tesla deserves a free pass with these issues, but I also think they should be expected.
- ivraatiems 6y ago
  I disagree that "the whole roof flew off while driving" is an issue that should be expected, no matter the age of the product line.
  - radicaldreamer 6y ago
    Yup, this tends to not happen with brand new Toyota models for example...
    - VBprogrammer 6y ago
      Let's not be totally unfair to Tesla here, plenty of cars have had similar issues. Various models of Vauxhall / Opel have been known for the bonnet / hood latch coming undone at motorway speeds and slamming into the windshield. Others have been known to catch fire randomly.
      - ivraatiems 6y ago
        Sure, and when that happened, did people say "oh, that's to be expected, sometimes cars do this sort of thing" or did they say "this is completely unacceptable and must be fixed immediately"? Tesla gets held to a separate standard, and excuses get made for it, because people want it to succeed. I want it to succeed, too, but my definition of success includes making reliable cars. (And preferably sacking Elon Musk, but that's unrelated.)
        VBprogrammer 6y ago
        I think it can be both unacceptable and not unexpected. No amount of engineering can match a few months of real world testing. So long as there is a good faith effort to fix the issue then it's not necessarily a sign of incompetence on Tesla's side.
    - pbalau 6y ago
      This doesn't happen to Dacia either...
  - underwater 6y ago
    Echos of the classic "The Front Fell Off" skit: https://youtu.be/3m5qxZm_JqM https://youtu.be/3m5qxZm_JqM
pc86 6y ago
Ford's had about 112 years, and Tesla's had 17. I'm not saying that makes it excusable but I think the scale is important, other major car manufacturers have been around 4-5x as long.
- vowelless 6y ago
  This is such a dumb point. When Ford started, horses were the main means of transportation. Comparing that to Tesla’s beginning, which was at the peak of car manufacturing, is stupid.
  - jnwatson 6y ago
    No, but it fair to start, say in 1980. It took Ford a solid quarter century to catch up to the quality innovations present in Japanese manufacturers.
    - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
      I think nostalgia is clouding your judgement. By the mid 90s the domestics had more or less closed the gap. They just didn't apply the techniques and processes to the product lines they didn't care about (i.e. economy cars, they were selling SUVs hand over fist after all). And if you look at MRSPs for foreign and domestic economy cars throughout the 90s the prices more or less reflect the respective OEM's level of investment in those product lines. If you wanted an economy car you bought a Civic. If you wanted a shitbox you bought an Escort for less money.
      - anthony_d 6y ago
        > By the mid 90s the domestics had more or less closed the gap. I completely disagree with that. I bought a Cadillac in 2012. Its build quality was lower than anything I've seen from BMW, Audi or Volvo. I'm talking about really inconsistent panel (internal and exterior) gaps and misc vehicle rattles. It's also worth mentioning the Cadillac was the most expensive vehicle of the group and very much a line that GM cared about. I have no idea how Ford is doing, but GM is still not comparable to German/Swedish/Korean manufacturers.
alexslobodnik 6y ago
Seems like the number of complaints I've heard about Tesla has stayed the same over the last couple of years. Given there are a lot more of them made, seems like they are getting better. (I am an owner of Model 3 and find it to be a joy of a car.)

hn_throwaway_99 6y ago

The example from this article is from the Model Y, which just began shipping in March. Tesla is still in a huge rampup growth phase where their manufacturing processes aren't yet stable. I don't think Tesla deserves a free pass with these issues, but I also think they should be expected.

ivraatiems 6y ago
I disagree that "the whole roof flew off while driving" is an issue that should be expected, no matter the age of the product line.
- radicaldreamer 6y ago
  Yup, this tends to not happen with brand new Toyota models for example...
  - VBprogrammer 6y ago
    Let's not be totally unfair to Tesla here, plenty of cars have had similar issues. Various models of Vauxhall / Opel have been known for the bonnet / hood latch coming undone at motorway speeds and slamming into the windshield. Others have been known to catch fire randomly.
    - ivraatiems 6y ago
      Sure, and when that happened, did people say "oh, that's to be expected, sometimes cars do this sort of thing" or did they say "this is completely unacceptable and must be fixed immediately"? Tesla gets held to a separate standard, and excuses get made for it, because people want it to succeed. I want it to succeed, too, but my definition of success includes making reliable cars. (And preferably sacking Elon Musk, but that's unrelated.)
      - VBprogrammer 6y ago
        I think it can be both unacceptable and not unexpected. No amount of engineering can match a few months of real world testing. So long as there is a good faith effort to fix the issue then it's not necessarily a sign of incompetence on Tesla's side.
  - pbalau 6y ago
    This doesn't happen to Dacia either...
- underwater 6y ago
  Echos of the classic "The Front Fell Off" skit: https://youtu.be/3m5qxZm_JqM https://youtu.be/3m5qxZm_JqM

pc86 6y ago

Ford's had about 112 years, and Tesla's had 17. I'm not saying that makes it excusable but I think the scale is important, other major car manufacturers have been around 4-5x as long.

vowelless 6y ago
This is such a dumb point. When Ford started, horses were the main means of transportation. Comparing that to Tesla’s beginning, which was at the peak of car manufacturing, is stupid.
- jnwatson 6y ago
  No, but it fair to start, say in 1980. It took Ford a solid quarter century to catch up to the quality innovations present in Japanese manufacturers.
  - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
    I think nostalgia is clouding your judgement. By the mid 90s the domestics had more or less closed the gap. They just didn't apply the techniques and processes to the product lines they didn't care about (i.e. economy cars, they were selling SUVs hand over fist after all). And if you look at MRSPs for foreign and domestic economy cars throughout the 90s the prices more or less reflect the respective OEM's level of investment in those product lines. If you wanted an economy car you bought a Civic. If you wanted a shitbox you bought an Escort for less money.
    - anthony_d 6y ago
      > By the mid 90s the domestics had more or less closed the gap. I completely disagree with that. I bought a Cadillac in 2012. Its build quality was lower than anything I've seen from BMW, Audi or Volvo. I'm talking about really inconsistent panel (internal and exterior) gaps and misc vehicle rattles. It's also worth mentioning the Cadillac was the most expensive vehicle of the group and very much a line that GM cared about. I have no idea how Ford is doing, but GM is still not comparable to German/Swedish/Korean manufacturers.

alexslobodnik 6y ago

Seems like the number of complaints I've heard about Tesla has stayed the same over the last couple of years. Given there are a lot more of them made, seems like they are getting better. (I am an owner of Model 3 and find it to be a joy of a car.)