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Steering wheel falls off a new Tesla Y while driving on a highway
- typeformer 4y agoI mean come on, this is clearly driver error, if he would have purchased the full self driving package for the totally reasonable price of $15,000 then he wouldn’t have needed to use his steering wheel on the highway at all and this whole situation could have been avoided.
- roarcher 4y agoPerhaps it would've even driven him into a barrier and he'd never need a steering wheel ever again.
- cjbgkagh 4y agoDeath is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem. - Joseph Stalin
- medellin 4y agoNot related but the 15k self driving package is why I will never buy a tesla. I want an electric car but ill just wait longer for a competitor as i would personally feel like an idiot paying for the 15k or the other package they have.
- KidComputer 4y agoStandard Tesla build quality, nothing to see here.
- theflyingelvis 4y agoThe Model Y owner stated that they were billed for the repair. Two weeks ago I took my new Model 3 to Tesla and was also billed for a warranty repair. They removed the charge but only after I complained. My opinion of Tesla has really declined since the purchase of my first Tesla in 2019. Probably will never buy another.
- jackmott42 4y agoThe workflow when you schedule a warranty repair causes people to think they are being charged when they are not. It is bad UX for sure, but Tesla does not (as a habit) charge for warranty repairs. It will seem like it on the app, before you actually go pick up your car. Your case may have been one of these, or perhaps it was some issue that is borderline warrantyable, and all car makers will try to wiggle out of warranty claims if possible.
- deely3 4y agoSorry, what is your point? "It seems like you billed, but in reality youre not billed" while "all car makers allways try to bill you"?
- infecto 4y agoThe point is the parent's story is unclear if Tesla was attempting to not cover warranty work or if it was the confusing billing workflow that Tesla uses. Hope that clears the confusion for you.
- macinjosh 4y agoAt least the front didn't fall off.
- extesy 4y agoAdding a context to help appreciate this joke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM
- justusthane 4y agoThat’s not very typical, I’d like to make that point!
- yellowapple 4y agoWell of course not; a wave didn't hit it.
- senectus1 4y agoI'm sure they'll tow it out of the environment.
- blakesterz 4y agoI sent this to my 16 year old who is a huge Elon/Tesla fan. He has been trying to convince me to buy a Tesla for years, and his response was too perfect: It’s self draining it doesn’t need a wheel
- BulgarianIdiot 4y agoIt's self igniting too.
- trage 4y agoIf I were you I'd take a couple of screenshots, pop them on a Fracture and stash it for his 21st.
- kossTKR 4y agoCan anyone explain why the Tesla build quality is so bad compared to established giants? Cost cutting? Higher US wages? Too little technical know how?
- vb6sp6 4y ago[dead]
- blowski 4y agoIs it any worse? Or perhaps Tesla is now in the trough of disillusionment stage of the hype cycle, so every bit of negative news is made out to be a big deal.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- rich_sasha 4y agoI suspect (but know nothing about manufacturing) that 90% of quality is boring, tedious things like quality control checklists, documenting processes, training low-level staff and so on. Neither of these things strikes me as something Elon Musk would consider time well spent. He's more like, "cybertruck!", "really self-driving this time!", and more recently, running Twitter.
- ejb999 4y ago...and yet somehow he manages to launch and land way more rockets to space vs what NASA has been able to do for the last 50+ years...and at a tiny fraction of the cost. Guess he really is an idiot.
- rsynnott 4y agoWell, first, that has nothing in particular to do with mass-producing cars. However, also: > Rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched 204 times over 13 years (Also Falcon 1 launched five times). There are multiple _single types_ of US and Soviet rocket which have launched more times than that. Atlas I, for instance, 514 launches. Titan II, 396. Kosmos: 610. Soyuz: _1,964_.
- modeless 4y agoGood thing this has never happened to any other carmaker, right? Surely it would also have been HN front page news, especially if it affected thousands of cars! > Ford is recalling 1.4 million vehicles because the steering wheels can become loose and even come off while driving. > The automaker says it is aware of two accidents and one injury that may have been caused by the problem. https://money.cnn.com/2018/03/14/news/companies/ford-steering-wheel-recall/index.html https://money.cnn.com/2018/03/14/news/companies/ford-steerin... > Rivian recalls all of its vehicles for steering wheel troubles https://www.pocnetwork.net/technology-news/rivian-recalls-all-of-its-vehicles-for-steering-wheel-troubles/ https://www.pocnetwork.net/technology-news/rivian-recalls-al... etc... Of course steering wheels shouldn't fall off. But the comments here are already full of people under the impression that this incident proves Tesla is uniquely bad, and it's just silly. A few seconds Googling will tell you that most carmakers have had either isolated incidents or even widespread recalls of steering wheels that can fall off, or very similar problems such as the wheel disconnecting from the steering mechanism. Just on the front page of Google results I also see Mercedes and GM and Toyota. Turns out perfection in manufacturing hasn't been achieved yet, by anyone.
- extesy 4y agoTo be fair, this isn't the first time this happens to Tesla either: https://twitter.com/JasonTuatara/status/1254498497170149382 https://twitter.com/JasonTuatara/status/1254498497170149382
- smt88 4y agoWhataboutism is lazy. This is notable on its own or in relation to other companies, otherwise it wouldn't hit the front page. The major differences are that: - Tesla has a well-documented history of sacrificing safety for factory throughput, including taping parts together and shipping parts that are out of tolerance - Tesla's customer service in this (and, nowadays, all other) error is abysmal - Elon Musk controls the outlet where this was first reported, and he has now shadow-banned the post (it's impossible to search for it)
- colordrops 4y ago
- mikestew 4y agoFor perspective, in case the reader has never had need to pull a steering wheel, there is a special tool for the removal of every steering wheel I've ever removed. Because even after you remove the giant-ass nut holding it to the steering column, the steering wheel is (supposed to be) pressed on firmly enough that you will not be removing it by hand. Let alone have the damned thing fall off in your hands. (Exception: if I wiggle hard enough, I can get the steering wheel off our '81 VW camper without a puller.) In other words, Tesla manufacturing didn't give the nut enough torque at manufacturing time. How that's not automated with a preset gun/wrench/whatever, I have no idea. Or maybe someone just spun the nut on by hand and it never got the wrench. Oh. I just looked at a video on how to get the steering wheel off. There's just a big Allen bolt holding the steering wheel on, and then the video author simply wiggled the it off the steering column. Man, I'm not so sure I like that, and this story seems to back me up. On the other hand, it could be the video author has a defective Tesla as well, and you really are supposed to need a puller. :-)
- nimbius 4y ago>there is a special tool for the removal of every steering wheel I've ever removed. Diesel engine tech here. Not only is there a special tool, but on most modern vehicles in the last 5-7 years, you have several more nuts to engage as well and a certain direction you need to move the wheel to align it with a pattern before it slides off. that the nut was absent/loose on this vehicle implies a cascade failure in the manufacturing chain. the electrical team, the FA team, the driveline mechanics, everyone missed this failure at multiple steps or simply ignored it assuming someone else would take care of it. Toyota and Honda remedied this complacency thirty years ago with the line stop/all stop switch. basically its a big red button at your workstation where, if you detect any serious error or failure, you can halt the entire production line which triggers an immediate investigation into the failure condition before it ever reaches the customer. this halt can happen anytime, from the initial subframe assembly to something as insignificant as paint. its a massive amount of power and responsibility these companies entrust to each worker.
- mikestew 4y ago...but on most modern vehicles in the last 5-7 years... Thank you for a more up-to-date perspective. My pro years were 30 years ago, and the only vehicles I work on these days are the ones in my driveway (most of which are over 10 years old). And here's the video I was referencing, if anyone wants a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTpEFGqXw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTpEFGqXw4
- phone8675309 4y agoNothing says "build quality problems" quite like a car rolling off the assembly line that would fit into a "I Think You Should Leave" skit
- __derek__ 4y agoExactly what I thought of, too. Dropping the link here for others.[1] [1]: https://youtu.be/8YDpvMYk5jA?t=25 https://youtu.be/8YDpvMYk5jA?t=25
- poniko 4y agoNo need for a wheel, its on auto pilot anyways.
- ElevenLathe 4y agoYou don't need it anyway, it's self-driving.
- hprotagonist 4y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM [Interviewer:] Well, if this wasn’t safe, why did it have 80,000 tonnes of oil on it? [Senator Collins:] Well, I’m not saying it wasn’t safe, it’s just perhaps not quite as safe as some of the other ones. [Interviewer:] Why? [Senator Collins:] Well, some of them are built so the front doesn’t fall off at all. [Interviewer:] Wasn’t this built so the front wouldn’t fall off? [Senator Collins:] Well, obviously not. [Interviewer:] “How do you know?” [Senator Collins:] Well, ‘cause the front fell off, and 20,000 tons of crude oil spilled into the sea, caught fire. It’s a bit of a give-away.” I would just like to make the point that that is not normal. [Interviewer:] Well, what sort of standards are these oil tankers built to? [Senator Collins:] Oh, very rigorous … maritime engineering standards. [Interviewer:] What sort of things? [Senator Collins:] Well the front’s not supposed to fall off, for a start.
- 0xbadcafebee 4y agoWe're still submitting Tweets as HN stories, huh?
- extesy 4y agoHN guidelines require to submit the original source which in this case happens to be Twitter.
- colordrops 4y agoWhy is this on HN?
- fein 4y agoBecause Elon Man Bad and we need to drive Tesla stock prices down. I don't have a dog in this race as I don't care about twitter and I don't drive an EV - this kind of activity to sully one's name always struck me as organized vindictiveness for financial and social reasons. It all just seems so artificial.
- lexandstuff 4y agoSomeone's family was nearly killed due to a defect in a product made by one of the largest technology companies of our time. It seems very Hacker News worthy to me.
- colordrops 4y agoIs this related to the fact that it's a large and uniquely technology oriented company though? I get stories about autopilot defects making it to HN, but there is nothing unique to Tesla or deeply technological about a mechanical defect found in multiple car brands.
- justin66 4y agoI wonder what the job title is of the Tesla employee searching the car's log data right now, trying to find something with which to smear the author of the tweet.
- pengaru 4y ago> Payment Due: $103.96 Not only exceptional build quality, but such customer service to boot! trash
- avalys 4y agoI was a Tesla skeptic for years, then I rented a Model 3 on Turo about a year after it was first released, and was hugely impressed. It really is a fantastic car by any standard: quiet, smooth, powerful, precise steering and good handling, etc. I thought the center screen and overall control scheme was innovative and a thoughtful way to keep costs down, and I was impressed by some of the other innovative tech (no analog fuses, etc.) I bought one and was super happy with it for three years, then sold it during the pandemic. But I don't know what has happened to Tesla since then. The Model Y is nice, but just a slightly inflated Model 3. The Model S and Model X refreshes are unimpressive and the basic design of those cars is over a decade old now. The Tesla Roadster never shipped, despite them taking $50k deposits on them. They've only "delivered" a few hand-made Semis. The Cybertruck is a joke and apparently vaporware. "FSD" is technically impressive but nowhere near usable and probably has no path to ever get there. I think Musk pulled together a really impressive team and probably managed to burn them all out or scare them all off to get the Model 3 shipped, and they're just coasting since then.
- wkearney99 4y agoIf you're impressed by Tesla then you've only been driving sh*tboxes. Their quality of materials, and fit-and-finish, is utter garbage. A late 80's Ford Taurus was better.
- avalys 4y agoA car can be impressive in ways other than materials and fit-and-finish. I agree this is an area of weakness for Tesla.
- radicalbyte 4y agoI had a Renault Clio (bought new) where the steering cut out on the motorway. Not just the power steering dead but also the steering lock on. Luckily it was daytime, quiet and on a long straight stretch. I was able to disengage the clutch and the handbreak (and breaks which worked but not well). Pulled the key out + on again and it unlocked. Happened twice in our journey, the second time I was driving very defensively (leaving lots of space and not changing lane) and reacted quickly. It was the first and last French-made car I've owned. Then there was the VW Polo I had whose main brakes failed coming off of the motorway. That was crazy scary, had to use a combination of the handbreak and going off-road to stop in time.
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- irthomasthomas 4y agoThat response from the service centre is the chefs kiss. "Why have you sent this Tesla in for service?"
- josephcsible 4y agoApparently faked: https://twitter.com/wk057/status/1620249680469954561 https://twitter.com/wk057/status/1620249680469954561