New Tesla Model S Plaid Buyer Rants About Poor Build Quality On $140,000 EV

Build quality issues apparently continue to plague Tesla vehicles if you find yourself surfing on Reddit. Posted to the r/Wellthatsucks Subreddit, the narrator of a short, 38-second video highlights a litany of ill-installed trim pieces and misfitting parts.

The video purports to show build quality issues with a “brand new [Tesla Model S] Plaid.” While they claim that the car cost $140,000, Tesla’s website shows that the model starts at $107,490, but options can easily add tens of thousands of dollars to the price of the car.

Regardless, the fit and finish of the vehicle in that video are hardly what buyers would expect out of a six-figure vehicle. The narrator starts with the rubber trim around the door frame that is peeling away from the interior trim, moves onto the plastic trim near the taillights that doesn’t sit flush, and continues with the exterior window trim that peels away from the bodywork with little more than a tug. They claim that it “looks like toddlers put this together during recess.”

Read: Tesla Model S Plaid Teardown Begins, Quality Control Is Improved But There Are Still Lapses, Says Engineer

Photos Reddit u/xpxf69

Most alarming of all, however, is the frunk lid, which when open rocks back and forth aggressively.

“It’s open, and I’m tapping it, and the thing wobbles like it’s going to fall off the hinges. It’s unbelievable,” the narrator says. “I understand Teslas are pretty much computers, and they happen to make electric vehicles, but the bits and pieces don’t fit.”

Indeed, in the comments to the post, others shared stories of similar troubles. One claimed that a friend’s Model X has mismatched taillights, and another user said that a friend’s Model Y leaks when it rains.

It is important to note here that the above claims are unverified, and that u/xpxf69, the person who posted the video, is frequently critical of Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk. Build quality issues from Tesla are well documented, though. From bumpers falling off in the rain to peeling steering yokes, these users aren’t the first to notice faults like these.

While Musk has previously said he’s willing to sacrifice profits for production volumes, it will likely be important for the company to convince the world that they aren’t also sacrificing quality in pursuit of numbers.

$140k Tesla quality
by u/xpxf69 in Wellthatsucks