The disapproval of Elon Musk is the top reason Tesla Model 3 owners are selling their electric vehicles and going for another brand, according to a new survey of 5,000 Model 3 owners.
Tesla spent years building a brand identity that is intimately woven together with Musk. It’s damaged goods now as far as I’m concerned. Every time I encounter one of its products I think about it. It wasn’t too long ago when I was eagerly following product updates in the hopes of eventually buying a car power wall or that solar roof system. I was enthusiastic about rationalizing away the poor build quality and terrible customer support. Now, I would never buy a thing from them and I’m happy to pass judgement on anyone who does. $tslaq
Even beyond Musk the quality of Tesla’s for the price is absolute shit. His presence just makes it even worse. The main selling point for them was the higher range but seems like that may have been a lie the whole time.
Removed by mod
that may have been a lie the whole time.
Musk’s taint on the brand is I think majorly based on this type of thing. His twitter purchase has revealed that he’s a serial liar, and now people are seeing all of the ways that it is happening with Tesla. People tolerate assholes all of the time. What they don’t want to tolerate is snake oil salesmen, and I’m not sure there has ever been a bigger one than Musk.
Fun fact: teslas are the most recalled car brand in the country.
I don’t discredit the work done by the engineers there, I’d argue they laid the groundwork to usher in the future of electric cars in this country. But of course all the credit goes to musk. Just another situation like Steve Jobs. See Bill Burrs bit on Jobs and replace him with Musk, same exact story.
How many of those are real serious recalls that they didn’t just fix with easy tweaks over the air? I hate Musk as much of the next guy but I follow a lot of EV YT channels and even the ones that don’t like Tesla acknowledge that the media overhyped the recalls given how many of them have been easy OTA fixes. Plus since they iterate very fast and don’t just update the car once every four years often it only affects a small subset. Like 1-4k cars in some cases rather than the typical 100k recall that Toyota would have.
If only he had cancer curing nanobots in his fruit salads.
You can’t fight P.C. with apples.
As referenced.
Curious what quality issues you mean?
Here ya go: https://insideevs.com/news/549130/consumerreports-tesla-reliability-poor-2021/
Start here and I’m sure you’ll be able to guide yourself in this journey from there.
Tesla is the most recalled vehicle brand. That’s impressive. Looking at you Kia/hyundai and Nissan.
Musk himself admits Tesla has build quality issues
Search “Tesla panel gap issues”. Tons of people complaining and many say that trying to fix the issue causes other, bigger gaps, or just gets worse. I’ve heard rumor that if you try to fix them, you’ll void some kind of Tesla support.
Oh, and one of the most damning ones in my book. During a car fire, which Tesla has had PLENTY of, some genius decided that the door locks should default to LOCKED. Who the actual fuck thought this was acceptable? How did they ever make it into production.
There’s a video floating around of a guy kicking his windows out to escape his burning Tesla.
Dumb dumb musk decided he was smarter than everyone else, (spoiler he’s not) and overrode his own engineers. He decided there were no physical sensors required for auto driving, only cameras. Every other manufacturer knows that not possible yet, but musk knew better
Yes, a lot of car fires are difficult to extinguish, and yes, electric/hybrids more so, but teslas are exceptional. Can’t out out the many teslas that catch fire When the local fire dept came by to inspect our business we got to chatting and they said that they had a Tesla catch fire. They used everything in their arsenal, and a LOT of water. Like more than you could imagine. Then it got towed to a holding yard. Someone parked it up against a building, and next to quite a few other vehicles waiting for legal things/inspections. Tesla reignited in the tow yard and took out everything near it too. The yard is in BIG trouble for damaging a whole lot of evidence/vehicles being held for court cases, etc.
I could go on, but those are the biggest ones.
They’ve also found out the hard way that automotive grade parts exist for a reason.
https://www.thedrive.com/tech/27989/teslas-screen-saga-shows-why-automotive-grade-matters
During a car fire, which Tesla has had PLENTY of, some genius decided that the door locks should default to LOCKED.
Leave no whiteness is Tesla motto
No it hasn’t. Please point us to a source that shows Tesla having more fires than other EV brands, let alone ICE cars.
The claim isn’t that they have more fires than other EV or ICE cars. The claim is that if they do have a fire they will trap you and your family in it.
Burning lithium and other exotic metals are class D fires. They are extraordinarily difficult to extinguish. They burn hot enough to break down water into oxygen and hydrogen. Mainly you let them burn themselves out and try to prevent them from spreading to other more traditionally combustible materials.
I’m not a Musk fan at all but some of these are misleading or just downright wrong.
Tesla is only the most recalled brand if you categorize “recalls” to include software updates. If Tesla can fix an issue via an OTA update, it shouldn’t be considered a recall but it is in the source being used.
Teslas do have build issues but they’re not overwhelmingly more present than other cars. They’re only showing that way because Tesla only has 4 models of car and the build issues carry over from year to year. That’s not the case for other cars where, like with a Jetta, the body is redesigned but the name stays the same.
The door lock thing is also misleading because the case would be the same for any other car where the driver locked the doors. Either way, the fire department is breaking a window. They don’t have magic keys to open every car door out there. The fire department could pull on the handle all day long and it wouldn’t matter. The driver locked the doors and could have opened them but didn’t (and there’s even a special manual override for them along with a Fire Department quick access switch at the front of the car).
Edit: People are downvoting objectively true information.
https://www.autoblog.com/2022/12/29/most-recalls-by-car-manufacturer-2022/
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/attachments/smartselect_20191224-132903_adobe-acrobat-jpg.492495/
You missed the part where the driver was conscious and couldn’t escape from the inside due to locked doors.
Probably stuff like this:
https://www.carscoops.com/2023/04/tesla-model-s-plaid-buyer-rants-about-poor-build-quality/
A lot of cheap surface level stuff. For example, my dad has a model 3, and the back of the passenger chair just falls off. And by the back I mean the hard plastic shell that holds the seat pocket for the passengers in the second row to use.
There have also been reports of things like mismatched tail lights, cars leaking when it rains, and bumpers just falling off. But I haven’t seen those in person.
Stuff like that.
Don’t forget when they had the issue with the glass roof flying off on the highway.
In addition, almost all big car manufacturers now have far better EVs in terms of quality, features, and looks. Tesla no longer has the monopoly they enjoyed for almost a decade. If you’re selling me an EV with this shit stain on it, I’d just go the shop next door.
Let his fascist followers buy his EVs….oh wait, they hate them. Remember all the rage against EVs in Texas that led to “rolling coal” in Teslas, purposely parking F250s to take up all the Tesla charging stations, vandalism at charging stations, keying Teslas parked at malls? Yeah, those are the people he is fighting for.
I wanted a Tesla for years. I even had stock which helped me buy my house.
I no longer want a Tesla and it 100% has to do with musk. And I decided that before I realized I’m trans.
On the other hand, maybe we should start a foundation to buy Teslas for trans people. Can you imagine how pissed Musk would get if it suddenly became cool to be trans in a Tesla?
I wanted a Tesla. I was ready to get a model 3. Then he went full blown ass clown and at first I thought it was a joke, like he was just messing around being funny. Then I realized how big of a dbag he really is and yeah, no thanks. I bought a CTS-V instead and although it’s the opposite of fuel efficient, it’s the most fun vehicle I’ve ever driven.
When we got on the wait-list for Starlink I thought he was a cool innovator type.
Luckily we’ve had the Starlink for a couple years now and I typically forget that his embarrassing ass has anything to do with it!
Glad we got it back then, I’d probably write it off now and not trust it/him enough to spend the money (it was a decent investment for equipment).
deleted by creator
Lol so are the CEOs of all the other manufacturers people to look up to and admire? Would you buy a Volkswagen or did you own one when Martin Winterkorn was running it?
Elon is a man child, I don’t look to him for any insights or knowledge, would I buy a Tesla? Ya if the car itself is good, if it’s not good then I wouldn’t buy it. It wouldn’t have anything to do with Musk however
Who do you bank with? Do you hold those CEOs to the same standards and not use their products?
Good luck buying anything where there isn’t some ethical issues surrounding the people who are the the top of those corporations
If I already had a Tesla I don’t know that I’d sell it because of him, but he was one of the major factors in me not even considering them when I was shopping for my EV. The other reasons being shoddy quality control, shitty practices, and dumb design decisions. All of which probably stem from him anyway.
its funny how selling a car brand as “eco” friendly backfires when you’re a fascist cunt
It blows my mind that Elon would still be well-regarded as a visionary entrepreneur, accurately or not, if he had just kept his stupid fucking mouth shut.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt
deleted by creator
Your generalizations about US consumers has no basis in reality. You really think people would buy these mass-market products if they weren’t good? Just look at the consumer satisfaction surveys. I’m far from a Tesla fan, but for a long time, there weren’t truly good competitors to Tesla EVs. iphones have always and continue to be some of the most highly rated phones on the market.
And what is wrong with voting with your wallet and choosing not to support the business of a terrible person? That’s about the only power you have as a consumer, so people should exercise that power if they see fit.
They buy things based on how they will be perceived for owning it.
The article says they don’t want Tesla’s because of the guy running the company, not because of their perception for owning it.
Both the iPhone and Tesla perform well. You made some valid points, but went off the rails at the end. Yes, the image of the product influences people’s buying decisions. That’s basic marketing knowledge. But they’re also good products.
deleted by creator
Tesla never really had a brand besides being “Elon Musk’s electric car company”, and now as it turns out it’s way easier for car companies to add tech into their cars than for a tech company to learn to build good cars.
I will probably buy an EV in the next year but I have zero interest in a Tesla. Musk is the reason.
Yeah I think this is a bigger risk for Tesla than current owners selling.
I’m not in the market for a car right now but there’s a decent chance that the next one I buy will be an EV. Up until maybe 2 years ago I’d have said a Tesla would have been top of the list for options. I don’t really feel that way anymore, and Musks instability is the primary reason.
I think his antics will have a snowball effect on future sales.
Teslas just don’t drive better than any other EV. Yes, the first time i got in a tesla i was floored, but it was also the first time i ever sat in any EV. After seeing a handful of other EVs, i now realize tesla isn’t anything special at all, all the EVs have that smooth electric motor feel.
They’re going to be a medium sized car maker, like mercedes or bmw. They have no chance at selling more cars than toyota or gm to justify the insane market cap.
Removed by mod
Let me add the fact quality control/build quality is absolutely awful to your list
I’m going to wait and see if Toyota’s alleged 1450km/900mi solid state battery is real. It is rare for Toyota to tell the public what they’re working on until it’s ready to roll. This could be a ploy to lower sales of competitors, but if Toyota isn’t telling the truth, it will bite them. I’d love a small EV with that kind of insane range and the ability to use autonomous driving on interstates
The only car that has kind of real automation for interstates is the Mercedes EQS/S Class, as far as i know. I would think it will take some years until the tech gets into smaller vehicles. And it also seems very expensive to get this certification for Level 3, so i would assume it will be 5-8 years before we get this in smaller vehicles.
-
make the whole brand about me as a person
-
act like an insufferable prick
-
???
-
profit!
All Elon had to do was stick to the rockets and cars!
But no, he has to go pick fights with random people online and espouse stupid talking points. It’s like a masterclass in killing your personal brand.
I was off the Musk bandwagon when he called that rescuer in SE Asia a pedophile for not wanting to use his stupid submarine. Cancelled my cybertruck preorder.
You’ve pinpointed the exact moment I became disillusioned!
Pleased to see this meme format returning
deleted by creator
-
I think it’s more about how those types of buyers view the manufacturers reliability long term. The man is unhinged and has proven with Twitter that if given the chance he will willingly fuck over users. Imagine giving a bully the ability to limit your driving range or disabling your vehicle on a whim because he decides he doesn’t like you or what your local govt says.
Not saying he would do it but he has proven repeatedly to be unstable enough to believe he could escape punishment for doing it.
Imagine giving a bully the ability to limit your driving range or disabling your vehicle on a whim because he decides he doesn’t like you
He cancelled a reporter’s Tesla Model X pre-order because he criticized Tesla on late deliveries on pre-orders.
Really emphasizes how vital “right to repair” is. If a Tesla didn’t have proprietary software and centralized control over its cars it wouldn’t matter how irrational Musk was. But Tesla owners have to trust Tesla to maintain both the hardware and software in their cars, which means buying a Tesla is a long-term commited relationship with that company. And same with Ford, GMC, every car company whose software is a black box - if you can’t repair your own vehicle, you have to trust the management of the car company won’t screw you over for fun and profit.
I really need to get into car hacking
I read that someone had upgraded their P60 to a P90 by getting a new battery, all official and from Tesla and months later they updated his firmware and locked out the extra 30Kwh because it wasn’t the stock battery.
It’s shit like that that keeps me from owning anything Elon related.
Apple enters the chat
I aspired to own a Tesla before musk started showing his colours now I would find it embarrassing
Same, but after seeing the quality of everything else besides the software, no thanks. The electronics and infotainment seem to be the only thing they made well. Put that in a Honda or Toyota and I’d be happy.
They must have fixed the infotainment then, because I remember a video from electroBOOM showing it was glitchy and unresponsive
I’ve driven a few over the last year and haven’t personally had any issues at all with it specifically
Yeah, I remember I had a point in time where a Tesla would have been my dream car. But now, lol, naaaawwww.
I used to want a Tesla… Now I don’t. That’s 60% Elon and 40% their poor build quality.
The second percentage should be higher. It’s not, though. Elon is a very hateable person due to his low IQ, and astronomically high level of arrogance.
I honestly couldn’t understand how people had any praise for him in years past. He always came across as (yet another) embarrassing forever teenager, born with a silver spoon in his mouth and little sympathy for or understanding of others.
This is in vast contrast to Bill Gates who (despite my loathing of Microsoft’s business practices, especially in the 90’s and early 00’s) continued to grow and earned some respect with his philanthropic endeavours and just generally acting like an educated adult.
Still, I’d rather have fewer rich jetsetters and more competent Governments and international institutions, effectively working to better mankind.
I gave him the benefit of the doubt, although there was certainly doubt, until the “pedo guy” thing. Then I realized he was just a manchild. And, of course, he used his high-priced lawyers to get out of that obvious slander in court.
Same for me. Was saving for a Tesla, but now I’ll go with a different brand. For me, it’s 75% Elon and 25% that I’m just starting to prefer what other EV makers are putting on the market.
Its just been few months if not years , that elon had an image of real life iron man and what not ! 😂
Well, that’s not actually true for everyone. I’ve been talking about this guy being a douchebag for years. I have a relative that told me three years ago that I was just jealous of his success.
I really want to talk to that guy again now… Maybe the next reunion, haha.
As much as I hate Elon, the poor quality would be like 90% reason. I prefer being alive more than I hate Elon by a huge margin.
Oh no, they’re very safe. You just might not be able to open your trunk or roll down windows for eight months until the dealership 200 miles away can attempt to look at the problem, fix the trunk, and somehow break the passenger door in the process.
From what I hear the cars like to burn a lot. And I myself am not a fan of being burned alive. YMMV.
Your post does not contain enough edgy for him to read or notice it. Have you considered what Neo would say in the Matrix?
I’m sure the anti-woke crowd he is pandering to is going to jump in and buy up all the teslas
I think the Ford electric truck is selling like crazy to that demographic; if you really need low end torque suddenly an electric motor is tolerable.
Lmao my dad never shuts the fuck up about electric cars now he wants an electric car because Elon became a right wing god.
I don’t actually think this…but imagine if Elon is just pulling a super long con on the right.
Again, he isn’t…but that would be pretty cool in an alternate universe.
They’ve barely built about 20K of them so far. Demand outstrips supply, yes, but it’s a low bar.
They’re not selling here. There’s a huge off-roading community here and nobody wants to risk getting stuck 300km into a logging trail.
Lol, yeah. Everyone I talk to about my car instantly becomes a weekend road tripper, like they are constantly going on thousand mile road trips to the middle of nowhere where there aren’t any charging stations.
Most people own cars a long time and it’s used for all their trips, around town and crossbcountry. You only have to get stuck somewhere remote once without a way to charge to have a bad time.
You could be stuck somewhere remote and run out of gas too.
Definitely, but it’s much easier to get some gas and bring it back to the car. Lots of people that can help and lots of services to call on. Not impossible but much fewer options for an all-electric.
So you buy a car that’s extremely excessive in 99% of use cases to cover that 1%?
What keeps you from just renting a car for that 1%? I guess that’s why startups like Kyte are adopting a “car rental to your door” service…
In theory, with a stack of solar panels an EV could take you even farther into the wilderness, The Martian style.
Well people using their trucks to that extreme are always going to choose reliability over performance
Reliability, height clearances, axle to axle length, tire sizes, etc. It’s not like 4x4 + ICE is automatically good at offroading.
deleted by creator
I think the demographic may not be the correct financially. Though that might be more funny, a bunch of people buying out of spite and then defaulting.
Elon musk didn’t really think about how people who buy electric cars and the anti-woke is two non-connected circles on a Venn diagram.
My partner needed to buy a new vehicle. A Tesla Model was easily in budget. But they opted not to buy one because they want zero affiliation with Musk or any connotations that they may endorse his behavior by owning one of his products.
Decades of traditional automakers sabotaging the whole concept of EVs should make them the bad guys when it comes to EVs.
Elon has managed to make them the good guys.
That’s the risk when your brand is a “status symbol” and the company is closely linked with your personality.
Steve Jobs knew how to do this well. Elon is no Steve Jobs…
Leased a tesla MS in 2017 because I knew 250mile battery was not going to be the max in 2020 and guessed 350mile was possible (i was right). Right around then Elon came out as a conspiracy twat, so I was more than happy to turn my car in when he went full right wing twat.
3 years on, I’m the proud owner of an ebike with a few thousand miles on it, created by a company not owned by a twat. My insurance is $50 a month and my uber rides fall far below anything I spent monthly on my insurance and lease payment ($1300 or so). Helps to work from home and live 5 miles from most places I need to go to or from the public transit.
Honestly, had he kept his insane ideas to himself I might still own that car or it’s newer version. I do miss it, but I just can’t support people like that. Also, 3 years on I don’t miss the car payments…
… What kind of ebike do you recommend?
Really happy with the Rad Power Plus series. reasonably priced, 1000 miles and counting on the motor and battery. They seem to be getting a little hate of late for their customer service, but I have a local shop so I don’t see these issues.
This is the way! If you really care about the environment!
Also shout-out to NotJustBikes on YouTube.
Awesome that you’ve switched to cycling, it’s crazy how expensive your insurance is though!
I just got a quote for my ebike, it’s only £60/year!
In the UK plenty of cars cost less than £300/year to insure…
Yeah, Europe and UK seem to be cheaper for those things. While I was in Rome I paid €40 for the year, but stayed 2 months. At one time we could get insurance for our petrol car at $59 a month with minimal coverage, now it’s twice that.
That $50 is not all for the bike, I added supplemental coverage to pay for US healthcare in the event of an accident. I have full theft and damage, plus a balloon policy that pays out for medical, accidental death (for2 people). I think it was $120 for just the year on just e-bike, but an accident could cause my heath insurance to not cover due to it being a vehicle in motion accident.
Funny but when I see a Tesla, I now judge the owner. Never used to care one way or another but.
Yep, I just think “pretentious wanker” whenever I see one.
I bought my Model 3 Performance in 2021 because it ticked the boxes: fast, electric, and simple. After driving one for two years, I would probably still buy one again, but the association with Musk is a strong negative for sure…
deleted by creator
They quickly took the crown of biggest douche on the road from the BMW drivers.
Really? I always did. Tesla drivers are worse than truck drivers on the road. They always do something stupid.
They’re better than Prius drivers, going 35 mph on the freeway and accelerating from a stoplight slower than the bicycle next to them.
The latest prius redesign has 190+ hp, so that might change in the future.
I know a couple of Prius drivers. They drive like that intentionally, trying to eek out every possible MPG stat. It’s like a game to them. But they don’t seem to be aware of how much they impede the flow of traffic.
Ngl, I wouldn’t be caught dead with a Tesla these days.
As someone who wanted a Tesla for years I agree. But idk what other electric car I would get
My father in law is someone who has a long history of driving luxury cars. He recently (a couple years ago) switched to a Chevy Volt as his primary vehicle and loves it.
I know someone with a Chevy spark. They seem to really love it. I was looking at the F150 lightning but it’s way out of my price range.
The Chevy Volt is a great car.
Chevy volt… Not spark? Lol Oops.
They probably have a Spark too. They also have a Bolt. But I was just offering up another electric car they have that I know is good. The Volt is a great car.
Rivian R1S for a high quality luxury vehicle!
Mustang Mach-E. Ford is seeing what Tesla is doing and copying the good bits, doing constant over the air updates, keeping quality good (not perfect, mind you) and the car itself is absolutely gorgeous. Blue cruise is not bad, expensive though now. You will probably have a shitty dealer experience but dealers are shitty. Ford really wants to do away with them and is trying to figure out how, last I heard.
If you want cheaper the Bolt EV or EUV. The pricing on the Bolt is good, and you wouldn’t be going wrong by getting the current version. Chevy was going to ax the Bolt but instead they are redesigning the battery for a new edition. Everyone thinks its going to be just the EUV going forward since the EUV is like 4 inches bigger and most of it is the same. Chevy is going to put in a better battery that has faster charging times as well, if the rumors are true.
So you can’t go wrong with either of those two. The main thing is that car companies are turning into (and have been for a while even prior to EVs) software companies. You have to go with who you think will do the best overall with good and bad and then pair it with the EV that suits you.
That being said despite how much I love the looks of the IONIQ 5 and the EV6, Kia and Hyundai have some work to do. VW is safe. They are Electrify America after all, for what good that is.
Most of the large manufacturers make at least one. The less expensive ones tend to just be gas cars with electric motors swapped in. Cars that were designed to be electric generally have less compromise and more refinement. If I got an electric car today it would be an egolf, the range isn’t the best but that’s the only downside I’ve really seen.
I think most of the traditional manufacturers have pretty decent offerings now. Prices are still a bit high compared to the equivalent petrol car, but that’s only a matter of time given all the bans coming
Hyundai and Kia have some great models
I’m holding out for the Jeep Recon.
If you’re in the US:
On the lower end, try Volkswagen, Chevy and Ford. For higher end, check bmw, audi, and volvo.
Honda and Toyota are doing amazing at hybrids and plug in hybrids, but are behind on EVs. Hyundai, Kia, and Nissan in the US have bad build quality imo and their vehicles depreciate quickly.
Oh don’t worry, you can still be caught dead next to one, if one happens to pull up beside you and happens to explode… 👍
What? They don’t explode. Worst case they burn.
Did you know that I there are 100k cars on fire in the US annually?
Also, apparently you’ve never worked in the electronics field…
https://piped.video/watch?v=K5vDWhMHTwE
https://piped.video/watch?v=8nz5ijXcckI
Guess what homie, lithium batteries are friggin’ super dangerous!
Are you kidding me? You get even one of them wet from flood waters (guess what, nature happens, and sea levels are apparently rising…), they absolutely do explode in all holy hellfire!
You do realize any water compromised Tesla has to be parked like 50 feet away from any other vehicles or structures?
Gasoline isn’t even nearly as dangerous as a compromised lithium battery pack.
That’s not an explosion, it caught fire
Meanwhile, those of us that repair electronics for a living know better…
https://piped.video/watch?v=D3GDdZkN6fg
Please for the love of God folks, quit talking out of your asses, do your homework, and learn the very real dangers of lithium batteries.
This is new, at the dealership yo…
https://piped.video/watch?v=wDjfKhjP3hw
People really need to quit with the denial factor, lithium batteries are extremely dangerous!
As of recently, in Arizona, the pavement temperatures have exceeded 80⁰ Celsius. Lithium batteries aren’t safe over 40⁰ Celsius. Where do EV cars place their batteries? Under the car, right over the super-hot road…
Please don’t sit here and tell me these things are safe, when some of the roads they drive over are literally twice as hot as the rated safe temperature.
It’s still not an explosion bro, it’s a fire. Yes that sucks and I hope it gets better but ICE engines are not safer.
Or the self-driving system decides it doesn’t like you…
As long as you don’t post anything that musk disagrees with on x / twatter you should be safe.
I’m 99% sure the X is just a tipped over t. We should probably start calling it xwixxer.
