Tesla Inc. vehicles are at the bottom of a reliability survey by Consumer Reports, with the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization taking issue with the Silicon Valley electric-car marker’s Model Y and others.
The Model Y “has well below average reliability and thus cannot be recommended by CR,” the nonprofit said, faulting the vehicle for quality issues with body hardware and paint.
“Only the Model 3 sedan is reliable,” Consumer Reports said. Tesla’s luxury sedan Model S dropped to below-average reliability and is no longer recommended, and the Model X full-size SUV “remains subpar,” the nonprofit said.
Tesla did not immediately return a request for comment.
Cars by Mazda Motor Corp.’s Mazda, General Motors Co.’s Buick and Honda Motor Corp.’s Honda are among the brands that made gains in the latest survey, Consumer Reports said. Both Ford Motor Co.’s Ford and Lincoln brands struggled with the introduction of new SUVs, it said.
The yearly reliability surveys are based on data collected from Consumer Reports members about their experiences with more than 300,000 vehicles, the nonprofit said.
“Owners reported everything from transmissions needing replacement after as little as 5,000 miles to display screens that required hardware replacement and even paint that was marred by embedded human hair,” it said.
The paint-embedded human hair was on a Tesla Model Y, Consumer Reports said.
Toyota Motor Co.’s Toyota and Lexus brands came in second and third respectively for reliability, “continuing their long record of building some of the industry’s most reliable vehicles,” the nonprofit said.
Tesla is second from the bottom among the 26 ranked brands this year, Consumer Reports said Thursday. It was pulled lower by the Model Y, the compact SUV that is Tesla’s newest available model.
