Dec. 27, 2017—According to a recent Reuters report, 90 percent of Tesla vehicles need repairs not long after leaving the assembly line.
The news service spoke with nine current and former Tesla employees (all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity), including a former senior manager with experience in assembly, quality control and repairs.
The former employees—four of whom had been fired—said that after Tesla’s Model S sedans and Model X SUVs depart from the assembly line, the electric vehicles often require repairs before leaving the factory, as quality checks often revealed defects with regard to elements such as alignment and material trim.
The employees cited figures from Tesla’s internal tracking system, and mentioned seeing problems as far back as 2012.
Tesla has said its quality control process is extensive and designed to correct even tiny imperfections, many of which can be quickly resolved.
The employees who spoke with Reuters, however, described pressure to keep an assembly line moving, even if issues arose.
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has said he plans to make the company a peerless manufacturer, aided by a highly automated assembly line.
Yet, owners of some Tesla vehicles have also complained online, mentioning annoying rattles, inconsistent software abilities, and subpar seals that allowed water within the vehicle.
