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Tesla Removes Mileage Limits On Drive Unit Warranty Program

Posted by timothy on from the 90-percent-of-the-cost-of-my-entire-car dept.

Ars Technica reports that Elon Musk today wrote that Tesla will remove mileage limits on its warranty policy for all Tesla Model S drive units. The warranty, which will still span eight years, won't have a cap on the number of owners for each vehicle. People who purchased Teslas before today were told that the warranty period for the drive unit expired after eight years or once the car logged over 125,000 miles. The revised warranty applies to new vehicles and Model S cars that are already on the road. The article mentions that quite a few Tesla owners have had to have their drive units replaced; out of warranty, that runs about $15,000. Musk's announcement acknowledges that the change may cost the company some money, but says he's "confident it will work out well in the long run."

8 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. So there is a problem... by sinij · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So there is a problem and they are avoiding recall?

    1. Re:So there is a problem... by rmdingler · · Score: 5, Insightful
      No sir.

      There's a problem and they're handling it immediately and responsibly,

      instead of pursuing the GM/Toyota strategy of ignoring it and hoping it goes away.

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

    2. Re:So there is a problem... by sinij · · Score: 4, Insightful

      $15000 is within realm of new "crate engine", needing that at only 125,000 miles would be considered a serious quality defect with a traditional auto. If memory serves me right, most recent example was BMW nikasil engine block issue.

    3. Re:So there is a problem... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No sir.

      There's a problem and they're handling it immediately and responsibly,

      instead of pursuing the GM/Toyota strategy of ignoring it and hoping it goes away.

      GM hardly ignored their problem - they actively tried to cover it up, probably all the way back to 2005 or 2006, maybe even with government help, especially once they became Government Motors:

      GM Misses Red Flags From Rental Car Canaries on Crashes

    4. Re:So there is a problem... by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Tesla is sending a message.

      Their message is, "we are not GM, we care about the customer instead of trying to ignore and rip off the customer"

      If a company stands behind their product they offer a very long life warranty. If they know their product is crap, you get a short warranty. There is a reason that GM cars come with 36,000 mile 3 year warranties..

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    5. Re:So there is a problem... by Chuckstar · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The point was that only the GM cars have the problem that heavy stuff attached to the key can turn your car off in the middle of driving down the road. It's especially a problem with rental cars, because they have heavy stuff attached to the keys as a matter of course.

    6. Re:So there is a problem... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Assuming that the car is plugged in to charge at night it will heat the battery to keep the temperature at an acceptable level.

      I wonder what people with gasoline and diesel vehicles do? Lessee.........

      Why, they use engine block heaters.

      They use battery heaters.

      They have outlets on parking meters to plug these devices in.

      Heck, before the weather warmed up, I had block and battery heaters on my vehicles in Pennsylvania.

      I've heard that once upon a time they would start small fires under diesel tractors to wam them up to start, but can't confirm that

      Or, they'd just leave them running all the time.

      So please spare us the idea that the Tesla is a precious little snowflake that cannot handle the cold like those big tough Internal combustion engines. At upper Minnesota temps, all vehicles need some thermal considerations.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  2. Not a fan of Tesla but this is pretty awesome by JoeyRox · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If only other manufacturers would learn that stepping in front of an issue is always better than being run over by it, both for total cost and, more importantly, reputation.