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Tesla Recalls 2,700 Model X Cars, Highlighting Risk of Massive Model 3 Rollout (bgr.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Tesla has recalled 2,700 Model X cars due to a design flaw affecting the vehicle's third row of seats. Specifically, a faulty locking hinge on the last row of seats could potentially cause the seats to collapse forward during a crash. "Despite [15] prior successful tests and no reports of a third row seat slipping in any customer vehicles," Tesla said in an email to affected owners, "we have decided to conduct a voluntary recall as a precautionary measure and will be replacing all affected third row seat backs." Even though the Model X recall is small, it brings to mind the Model 3 and what possible manufacturing issues will pertain to it. BGR writes, "The current number of Model 3 reservations is absolutely staggering and Tesla will have no choice but to get as many Model 3s manufactured and out on the road as soon as humanly possible. So even in a best-case scenario where the rollout of the Model 3 goes swimmingly, Tesla will need to do all it can to ensure that the Model 3s rolling off the line in late 2018 and early 2019 are flawless." Recalling 2,700 vehicles is one thing, but a recall affecting the Model 3 could be a logistical and publicity nightmare.

157 comments

  1. Really...??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    You know how many recalls companies like Honda or GM deal with in a year?? A b0rked third-row seat 'aint nuthin.

    1. Re:Really...??? by EEPROMS · · Score: 3, Interesting

      i agree, I read an article 3 years ago when Toyota was having issues with recalls and they mentioned in England alone they have over 30 recalls a month 4-8 of them serious the rest to be fixed on the next service.

    2. Re:Really...??? by frovingslosh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm certainly not an Elon fan-boy, but I completely agree. Other manufacturers have recalls too, and much worse they don't have recalls when they should (think explosive airbags and faulty ignition switches). Tesla is doing the right thing here and they deserve an acknowledgement of that.

      --
      I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    3. Re:Really...??? by Rei · · Score: 1

      That's one thing Tesla has been well respected by customers for, which is going above and beyond when it comes to upgrades and recalls. They kind of have to, though - critics are going to keep holding them to a higher standard because they're A) a new company, and B) selling a very different product.

      --
      "Well, then fire it up and show me what this..." (sigh) ... "coccoon can do."
    4. Re:Really...??? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      That's exactly the point, though. The people arguing with me the other day said that Tesla was special, that the initial quality of the Model 3 will be higher than a product from one of the other automakers.

      Even if it's special, it's not THAT special. Buying a first-run of any product is risky - Tesla inclusive.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    5. Re:Really...??? by silentcoder · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Now consider the number of scandals in recent years from serious people-killing problems in cars where the companies knew about it and did not do a recall.
      Tessla is pushing itself as a market-creator, and a key part of their strategy is to over-engineer in the extreme. They want to prove the viability of electric cars and part of how they go about it is to build the best cars in the world by not sparing expenses or trying to maximize margins. This is exactly why every non-Tessla electric car is so much cheaper: there's no reason an electric car has to cost that much, you can do it much cheaper if you don't over-engineer to build the highest-quality, safest, vehicle in history.

      But when that's your strategy - a single person dying because of a bad seat that the company knew about would utterly destroy it. The risk to the company is far higher than the norm. To not do this recall would be crazy. GM and Toyota came out of their recent major scandals relatively unscathed, even a minor scandal would kill Tessla because Tessla is supposed to be the perfect car.

      It makes absolute strategic sense for Tessla to do recalls at the slightest hint of a risk - it doesn't for most car companies, and that's a good argument for regulations with serious teeth. If the fall-out from "your car killed hundreds of people due to a flaw you knew about and ignored" is guaranteed to be "you're entire turn-over for the last 5 years" then the incentives for GM or Toyota or Ford to do recalls would be about on par with Tessla's and scandals like that wouldn't happen again.

      --
      Unicode killed the ASCII-art *
    6. Re:Really...??? by darkmeridian · · Score: 1

      Auto companies have recalls for things like cars bursting into flames. A defective rear seat component is hardly a catastrophe.

      --
      A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/
    7. Re:Really...??? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      Not really.

      This Model X recall is pretty standard: found a flaw, bring car to dealer to have flawed component replaced at manufacturer's expense. It's a simple swap of one mechanical locking mechanism for another, non-shitty one.

      The Model 3 won't have this kind of problem because the Model X provides a source of lessons learned. The locking mechanism for the seats won't be flawed in the same way, and will be just as good (or better than) the Model X new seat locking mechanism. Similarly, all comparable and analogous design considerations in the Model 3 will have lessons learned from mistakes and troubles and initial prototypes from the Model X, so that knowledge rolls into the Model 3.

      The Model 3 will be a better-designed car than the Model X because they have all the knowledge generated in creating the model X.

    8. Re:Really...??? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      The Model 3 won't have this kind of problem because the Model X provides a source of lessons learned.

      "The Model X won't have this kind of problem because the Roadster and Model S provides a source of lessons learned."

      This is exactly what I'm talking about. I like Tesla - I really do. I like the cars, I like the focus of the company, and I like the customer relations. The quality seems to be at or above even Lexus levels. But the reality distortion field is strong with them. I feel like I'm trying to have conversations with otherwise rational people who have recently encountered a Jedi.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    9. Re:Really...??? by mlts · · Score: 1

      The Model 3 also will have more production runs, so economies of scale will start to come into play, and any bugs in one production run will get fixed in subsequent runs. It will be interesting to see how Tesla competes in this market because they are not just dealing with electric cars, but will be competing against Toyota for Camry and Prius sales, in markets where electric cars have historically never been in.

      Supercharger access will make or break things. There will have to be far more Superchargers than there are now, and located in spots like on I-10 in Texas where there are none, making the highway completely unusable for any electric vehicle.

    10. Re:Really...??? by dave420 · · Score: 2

      and C) possibly ushering in the end of their beloved ICEs.

    11. Re:Really...??? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 2

      No, I am actually generalizing from a field I fucking studied.

      Have you ever seen the Red Cross work? When the Red Cross enters an area, it's a disaster. No shit. That's what the Red Cross does. In the course of fixing a disaster, a lot more shit goes wrong; this is pretty much the nature of entering a disaster. That includes logistics failures, procedural failures, and political failures. Along the way, the Red Cross documents everything that goes wrong; they review these documents and work out ways to prevent or respond to similar problems should they ever occur in any future disaster. In this way, the Red Cross reduces the amount of time and money wasted in responding to all future disasters.

      That documentation is called Lessons Learned. It's part of archived historical project documentation. It's how large organizations emulate the human facility of executive function in which we use past information and future goals to make decisions about current activities by planning. We evaluate our plans through the lens of experience (essentially acquired knowledge) and determine risks and reliable strategies. We use what we know from mistakes we've made in the past to avoid similar mistakes in the future. In individuals, we often call this process "learning".

      Maybe it's not that you're not having conversations with people who have a distorted sense of reality; maybe you're just stupid.

    12. Re:Really...??? by Shoten · · Score: 2

      You know how many recalls companies like Honda or GM deal with in a year?? A b0rked third-row seat 'aint nuthin.

      Also, this was probably not a design flaw. Given the specifics of the recall, I'm guessing it's a situation where the manufacturing tolerances slipped, or needed to be changed.

      As others are pointing out, this kind of thing happens all the time, to every car manufacturer. If a proactive recall against a subset of the Model 3 population would prove disastrous for Tesla, then they need to get out of the car industry...because it's going to happen.

      --

      For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
    13. Re:Really...??? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Wow, you managed to type all that without addressing the problem that Tesla is now on their 3rd car and is still having birthing problems with it.

      Birthing problems are fundamental to new product development, and Tesla is not magic. They seem to be quite good, but they still will have rough edges when they attempt truly mass production and significant cost reduction for the very first time.

      Why the personal attack?

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    14. Re:Really...??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By "studied" he means he got a book from the library and read a Wikipedia article. He's a genius. I know, he's told us on many occasions. Ask him about his economic theory that is going to win him international recognition, prizes, and shape the future. He just might explain it. I suspect the variations of behavior and subjects of claimed expertise are correlated with cyclic behaviors of mentality and the reliability of their med schedule. Just a hunch. They live alone, are nearly agoraphobic, and it's all the fault of other people. The plight of all misunderstood geniuses.

    15. Re:Really...??? by Matheus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Article clearly written by someone who doesn't understand what a "recall" is. These happen all the time to nearly if not every vehicle. Given how much these cars cost, I'm pretty sure Elon can afford the maybe couple million this recall will cost tops (and that's retail cost of the part... you *know they're not actually spending retail cost on the replacement parts and the labor is virtually nil to replace a seat)

      Spin being what it is this article could have easily been written to the headline "Tesla continues to ensure delivered vehicles are top-notch!" with similar content to the summary including that they are voluntarily recalling 2700 vehicle despite no known failures in the wild. Spending low 7 figures so they their customers can know they are safe to the best of Tesla's ability.

      Instead they are casting this in a negative light and spreading fear. I have no need to blow sunshine up Elon's ass but I really can't stand journalists who's only talent is playing off of people's fears.

    16. Re:Really...??? by Radical+Moderate · · Score: 1

      Tesla is special. But that doesn't mean they're perfect. Everybody has recalls, this isn't a big deal. It's not like their motors or batteries are defective. It's a seat manufactured by a third-party vendor. Happens All. The. Time. Hopefully they'll learn and make their prototype testing more rigorous.

      --
      Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
    17. Re:Really...??? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      I'm sure that they'll learn. I'm sure their products will be high-quality. But I'm also sure that the first ones off the line won't be as nice as the last ones. I'm sure someone could pull out an example of declining quality over the life of the product, but I don't think that will be the case with Tesla. I do know that they are about to do two things that they've never attempted: true volume production and massive cost reduction. There will be a learning curve.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    18. Re:Really...??? by mspohr · · Score: 1

      Interesting item from the SpaceX post launch press conference. They had just landed the booster successfully on the barge for the first time. Elon said they thought they had about a 60% chance of success. He said they had fixed all of the things which caused past failures but there were always potential new causes of failure.
      They can learn from the Model X and S but there can always be new things. I think Elon himself is realistic but many of his fans take it to extremes.

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    19. Re:Really...??? by mspohr · · Score: 1

      Tesla is extremely cautious. Their only prior recall was for a loose seat belt bolt. They found one car with a loose bolt and out of an abundance of caution, they had all of the other cars inspected. AFAIK only that first car had a loose bolt.

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    20. Re: Really...??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's what makes Tesla exceptional, and the darling of the car-hating crowd.

    21. Re:Really...??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not going to get into all your perception discussion, but let's be serious about recall costs.

      Labor is not "nil". Ever. In these situations it's the most expensive cost. Heck, if you'd even bothered to read the article you're bashing, you'd see that the seat maker is actually covering that cost.

      The thing about Tesla is that any recall cost hurts them more than most because they aren't making money on the cars yet. Their desire is to scale into profit with this new model, but if they incur additional hits in recalls it could delay that which is where the financial concern comes into play. Not every article is a hit job on Tesla. Their stock has almost doubled since they announced a path toward profitability earlier this year. That's all based on the assumption it comes true. So investors are going to be jumpy until they get there.

      Good for Telsa for, apparently, getting out early on this recall. However, I'm not going to be falling at Musk's feet for his company doing what they'd be legally obligated to get to eventually. As everyone has pointed out, all cars get recalls. Because it's cheaper to repair this now then let the NHTSA fine them and make them process the recall along with any lawsuits from injured parties.

    22. Re:Really...??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Model 3 won't have this kind of problem because the Model X provides a source of lessons learned.

      Not this exact problem, but every auto manufacturer learns from the mistakes of previous models yet still has recalls. And recalls tend to be higher for the first model year of a new generation.

      The Model 3 is a new generation. Even the Model X and Model S, while built on the same platform, are quite different and I'd consider them separate generations. What's nice about the Teslas in general is they're much simpler vehicles in many ways, and OTA software updates might prevent a ton of recalls from ever being necessary.

      The Model 3 is just as likely to experience a minor recall as the Model X; it just won't be the seat locking mechanism; for one, because the Model 3 doesn't even have removable seats. And if the Model 3 does suffer a recall, it won't be any worse than when any other manufacturer does a minor recall. But it will make headlines, because it's Tesla doing it.

    23. Re:Really...??? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      Actually, I got a book from Amazon--a lot of them, in fact, mostly out of obsession--and went through certification exams, which I passed on the first try. This is the kind of stuff I'm into: administration, economics, finance, learning, things that form complex systems and allow for continuous improvement through the application of skill technology. I like learning *how* to do things better.

      He's a genius.

      I can also manufacture geniuses. It's surprisingly simple. People are, again, focused on hard tech: the right classroom skills, the right iPads, the right classroom design; but they're ignoring the simple fact that the human brain is a tool with a set of operational facilities, and that every human can apply those facilities in the same manner as every other human. Asian super-math kids? There's an app for that. Memory world-champions? They learned that. Critical and analytical thinking? A firm understanding of the creative processes and of the strengths and pitfalls of human analogical thinking will improve general reliability.

      The human mind is a tool, and using it is a skill.

    24. Re:Really...??? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      Wow, you managed to type all that without addressing the problem that Tesla is now on their 3rd car and is still having birthing problems with it.

      I never said there would be zero problems. How many of these new Model X cars have suffered the same problems that plagued the Roadster? How many of the problems that plagued the Model X do you expect to appear in the Model 3? Do you expect them to perform better or worse than their first and second generation?

      You talk like Tesla fucked up car 1, fucked up car 2 the same way, and will fuck up car 3 the same way; and they'll have to discover those same fuck-ups and fix them, again. The fact of the matter is Tesla is learning, in the same way GM and Chrysler are learning. The Tesla Model 3 isn't a brand-new product in the same way the Tesla Roadster was a brand-new product; it's a new type of Tesla Roadster and Tesla Model X, with different design goals, with the same technology.

      In other words: the Model 3 is the Model X with a few pieces tinkered with.

      As I said:

      The Model 3 won't have this kind of problem because the Model X provides a source of lessons learned. The locking mechanism for the seats won't be flawed in the same way, and will be just as good (or better than) the Model X new seat locking mechanism. Similarly, all comparable and analogous design considerations in the Model 3 will have lessons learned from mistakes and troubles and initial prototypes from the Model X, so that knowledge rolls into the Model 3.

      Your response is, "No, they built a poorly-designed locking mechanism once, and had to design a working one; they'll scrap ALL THAT EXPERIENCE and build ANOTHER poorly-designed locking mechanism, probably just like this one being recalled!" You live in a distorted reality where new products are designed in a bubble, without using the knowledge gained from designing previous, similar products. In the real world, we learn.

      If you're seriously going to take that line of argument, one can only assume you're not familiar with the concept of learning. That would be the figurative definition of retarded.

    25. Re:Really...??? by Cramer · · Score: 1

      "fix on next service" is not a RECALL. A recall is an immediate bring-it-in. Yes, some are more immediate than others -- eg. your wheel may fall off, vs. the third row seat *might* collapse in a crash.

    26. Re:Really...??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's fine if you want to make up your own definitions, I guess, but the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration disagrees with you. Go to http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/problems/ to look up recalls for any car. Most of the recalls are fix on next service things. Technical Service Bulletins can also be fix on next service things but not everything that's "fix on next service" is a TSB.

    27. Re:Really...??? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Wow, quite the straw man you built up there. Why do you need me in the conversation?

      Once again you lecture me on companies learning, and yet somehow deny that the first Model 3s will be of lower quality than later Model 3s. The only way that is possible is if the learning stops.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    28. Re:Really...??? by beastofburdon · · Score: 1

      Not to mention that the other companies will not issue a recall unless they calculate that doing the recall will be cheaper than the expected lawsuits. Oh, and if there was not a lawsuit in the first place there is zero chance of getting a recall.

    29. Re:Really...??? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      somehow deny that the first Model 3s will be of lower quality than later Model 3s.

      Wrong. You state that the Model 3 is a new type of thing, and buying its first production run is stupid because it will be buggy. This implies one of two things: either next year's Model S is *also* still a first-production-run product and buggy, or the Model 3 doesn't benefit from lessons learned in the creation of the Model S.

      You either exclude all the organizational knowledge gained from the production of the Model S OR you imply that it's not that the Model 3 will be bad because it's new, but that it will be bad because it's a Tesla and Tesla doesn't know how to make cars, and that its first production run is no worse than the concurrent Model S.

      You're trying to suggest an internally-inconsistent position: that the Model S is a mature product, but the Model 3 is brand-new and doesn't have the benefit of prior experience that makes the Model S a mature product.

    30. Re:Really...??? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      You state that the Model 3 is a new type of thing

      Correct - Tesla has never done large scale production and they have never done significant cost-reductions. So it's actually 2 new things for them.

      buying its first production run is stupid because it will be buggy.

      Correct. Any bugs present in the Model 3 will be more prevalent in the early models. The Model 3 will improve over time, and the largest rate of improvement will be over the initial production.

      This implies one of two things: either next year's Model S is *also* still a first-production-run product and buggy, or the Model 3 doesn't benefit from lessons learned in the creation of the Model S.

      No, there is still room for the third possibility, which you keep ignoring: that even if they took the existing Model S and tried to cost reduce it, they would introduce bugs. That even if they took the existing Model S and tried to ramp up production, they would introduce bugs. That they are ALSO making design changes to the model only makes things worse.

      You're trying to suggest an internally-inconsistent position

      No, you are constraining the number of variables to an unrealistic set. Your argument applies very well to the Model S facelift: Minor design changes, steady production, steady costs. But we're not talking about the S, we're talking about a high-volume, low-margin version with significant design changes.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    31. Re:Really...??? by Radical+Moderate · · Score: 1

      I mostly agree with you, but I could see Tesla pretty much hand-building the first run of 3s to make sure they get it right. Unlike most car companies, they won't be under as much pressure to crank out as many as they can as quickly as possible. They can start slow then ramp up as they work out the kinks.

      --
      Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
    32. Re:Really...??? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      I agree that this is likely to be the case - but that kind of slow ramp up (along with the tendency they have to introduce the fully-loaded models first) has very large implications for people who put down a deposit just to be first on their block. Remember that at some point they need to drop the cost AND ramp up production. I'm not too concerned about the first few, high-cost, low-volume Model 3s - but there won't be very many of those.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  2. Big freakin whoopdie doo by TurboStar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Cars are recalled all the time. Or worse, they aren't recalled because it's cheaper to pay out for dead and maimed people. Why is this article about fear instead of praising Tesla for catching this before anyone got hurt?

    1. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by pixelpusher220 · · Score: 0

      mod points if I had'em

      --
      People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people :-D
    2. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by alvinrod · · Score: 2

      Indeed. I've received a few service notices for my vehicle over the last several years where the company will fix some small problem if I bring it in to a dealership. It hasn't been anything as potentially serious as this issue, but this kind of thing happens all the time.

      If anything, this makes me more likely to buy a Tesla because I know that if there is a problem, they'll take care of it.

    3. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah, young grasshopper, did you not know?
      It appears to be International Slashdot Bash On Musk day!

      After all, he had to be 'saved' by NASA (you know, by providing them with a competitive solution for launch right when the Russians
      were causing problems, and Boeing etal were wringing their hands in glee at how much they were going to charge), and now
      he is taking a sensible precautionary move (withing need to be forced) to ensure safety!

      Thats just Un-American! does he not know that reducing the cost of government projects, or actually looking out for customers does NOT
      maximise corporate profits at any cost?

      Damn his evil underhanded practically communist, and definitely ungodly plans!

    4. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Because we have fools like Mark Whittington that are pushing things like this. Basically, they are trying to turn a positive into a negative.
      ME? We alerady own an MS, and they fix anything that goes wrong and is tesla's fault. I have to say that I wish that dealers were like Tesla. If so, they would not be losing their dealerships.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    5. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by blankinthefill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      True story. A recall like this will NEVER be bad publicity when it's made as soon as the manufacturer realizes a problem exists and before anyone in the field has even seen anything. I've wanted a Tesla for awhile now, and if my current car can make it long enough, my next new car is going to be a Model 3... exactly BECAUSE of recalls like this. Tesla not only makes the safest cars on the road, but they have the safest organization as well. Clearly their management is more interested in making a safe car than turning a quick buck, and that's the kind of company that I want to do business with.

    6. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or worse, they aren't recalled because it's cheaper to pay out for dead and maimed people.

      Isn't this the exact logic Ford used back in the day when they started selling Pintos?

    7. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, and the very same logic was applied by GM when they discovered the problem with the ignition switches.

    8. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by zrobotics · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I agree with you, but it is worth keeping in mind that when Japanese vehicles were first being introduced into this country they were built much better than their domestic counterparts. Granted, they were cheap econoboxes, but they were well built econoboxes. Now that they're established, the build quality of a Honda or Toyota isn't that much better than a Ford or Chevy. I'm sure Tesla has studied this, they know they need an excellent safety and reliability record if they wish to become a major player in the market. In the long run, it's better business to take a small loss on a recall than deal with lost sales from bad publicity. Damn though, it's refreshing to see a company looking more than a few quarters ahead.

    9. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      You do realise this is because the quality of japanese cars has forced american and european manufacturers to up the game, not because japanese car quality has gone down. Honda and Toyota still generally top the reliability and build quality charts.

    10. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by mjwx · · Score: 1

      Cars are recalled all the time. Or worse, they aren't recalled because it's cheaper to pay out for dead and maimed people. Why is this article about fear instead of praising Tesla for catching this before anyone got hurt?

      Good manufacturers care about repeat customers so they're proactive about recalls. Bad manufacturers wait until someone dies.

      This is why Toyota has more recalls than GM. It's not that GM cars are more reliable than Toyotas (or that GM cars are even reliable) its that Toyota would rather replace a seat belt buckle that has a 1 in 1,000,000 chance of failing under extreme circumstances like the vehicle being overloaded, the seatbelt being buckled improperly and the moons of Jupiter must also be in perfect alignment in order to cause a failure... As opposed to waiting until a faulty ignition kills 17 people.

      --
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    11. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1, Informative

      There is a genuine concern here. Check out this video by BjÃrn Nyland, an early buyer of the Model S. He has had pretty much the whole drive train replaced more than once, and numerous other issues. His story is not uncommon for buyers of early models.

      Newer models seem to be a lot more reliable. The question is if Tesla will have similar problems with early revisions or if they will be reliable from day one. The Model X actually suggests the latter, as opposed to what TFA implies, as it's not been anything like as problematic as the early Model S.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    12. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How young are you? Early Jap cars were cheap but the "well-built" came later. My best friend's dad drove a Mazda in the early 70s that rusted out within a few years; you could actually do a Flinstones stop in the damn thing.
      Nothing like the mats falling out an you watch the road flying by beneath you - this actually happened to me when getting a ride home.

    13. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      So what? He got a lemon. Happens all the time with cars.

    14. Re: Big freakin whoopdie doo by beanpoppa · · Score: 1

      ...or, you could be full of shot. Toyota has bean counters and lawyers, too.https://www.google.com/url?q=http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/toyota-pay-12b-hiding-deadly-unintended-acceleration/story%3Fid%3D22972214&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjGqL_Ih4nMAhWMGh4KHXZxDEEQFggbMAA&sig2=KfEpauQqINZ4LyceD6eclQ&usg=AFQjCNFecORiFoxGZ1gMYOyd66NyX34U-Q

    15. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right. I have newer cars and believe me, they get recalled all the time.

      Then there's the technical service bulletin (TSBs)... the database of "problems we know about but haven't caused enough negative press or deaths for us to do something about." Look those up. You'd be surprised at how much shit is defective on your vehicle that you didn't even know about.

    16. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      It's not just his car, if you watch the video he talks about how the problems he had are notorious among Model S owners.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    17. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      Why is this article about fear

      BeauHD and the new /.

    18. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by dj245 · · Score: 2

      True story. A recall like this will NEVER be bad publicity when it's made as soon as the manufacturer realizes a problem exists and before anyone in the field has even seen anything. I've wanted a Tesla for awhile now, and if my current car can make it long enough, my next new car is going to be a Model 3... exactly BECAUSE of recalls like this. Tesla not only makes the safest cars on the road, but they have the safest organization as well. Clearly their management is more interested in making a safe car than turning a quick buck, and that's the kind of company that I want to do business with.

      I think this may be more due to the fact that Tesla is a small company. This has 3 effects- their product line is small, their management structure is probably a lot more tighter and less compartmentalized, and their financials are not as strong.

      The small product line lets them devote more time and resources to each model.
      The tighter management structure better facilitates a larger portion of the management being involved and knowing what all the problems are.
      Their comparatively weaker financials (compared to a larger auto manufacturer) likely makes them more careful about recallable defects. One good valid recall with multiple customer deaths could potentially sink them.

      I think their attitude and culture is more reflective of big company vs small company than any sort of extraordinary altruism. Most people, including those at large auto companies, are not evil. However, the size of a company sometimes affects how it reacts to mistakes like this. A smaller company is typically better able to make decisions and implement them faster..

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    19. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by hey! · · Score: 1

      You have to scale that by how bad the cars coming out of Detroit were at the time. Rust proofing back in the 70s was universally bad, I say this as someone who has been driving since the early 80s. Back then a five year-old car was old, and a car that lasted past 100,000 miles was a rarity. Today it's common to see cars that are almost twenty years old that have less rust than a five year-old car would have back then.

      As American cars got better in response to Japanese competition, the Japanese cars got better too, to the point where by the 00s, Japanese sedans were almost uniform in the bland near-perfection, but as a frequent renter it was still quite common to encounter brand new American cars with basic body problems like squeaks and rattles, doors that didn't fit quite right or finicky hood latches.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    20. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Does he qualify that claim with some supporting evidence, or is it more a hand-wavey claim?

    21. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why is this article about fear instead of praising Tesla for catching this before anyone got hurt?

      It was submitted by an AC - probably a PR firm hired by a competitor to spread FUD.

      Recalling 2,700 vehicles is one thing, but a recall affecting the Model 3 could be a logistical and publicity nightmare.

      Which is nonsense to anybody who's even aware of the car industry. Why does /. still accept submissions from AC's? Reputation is king in this day and age.

    22. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by harperska · · Score: 2

      If there is one lemon, it is likely that there will be three lemons, even from a company with the best quality control ever. And in today's Age of the Internet, it is likely that those three lemon owners will find each other, verify their confirmation biases, and get very noisy about how the product is a flop.

    23. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by wbr1 · · Score: 1
      For the same reason all the anti-EV pundits were crying about a couple of fires in accidents that were well contained and did not result in injury.

      For the same reason when ICE cars were new, you had people complaining that the gas tank was a bomb waiting to happen.

      Change is scary it is unpredictable. It is even worse when you have a vested interest in the status quo.

      --
      Silence is a state of mime.
    24. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by KGIII · · Score: 1

      No, they were horribly built. They were awful. I do mean awful.

      What they were, was cheap to run and replace. There was an oil crisis, you probably don't know this because you're too young. However, no... In fact, Subaru had a commercial that showed they were finally good enough that you could kick the tires and that the vehicle wouldn't fall apart. Yeah, that bad. They made their quality improvements *after* they had the money to do so - money that they got from being dirt cheap. Note: They're no longer dirt cheap. Why? Because they're actually good vehicles now. This started en masse in about 1982, if you're curious. Some, like Datsun (Nissan), actually had some tough drive trains but were likely to fall apart. Rust was a few years away from the purchase date (Remember Z-bart? Probably not.) They were cheap to buy and cheap to use. Quality was something added later.

      Take your revisionist history to share with the rest of the kids. Some of us old people are still here, you know. I suppose you'll next try to tell me about all the old reliable German automobiles? Or how US cars were reliable back in the day? Nope. They all kind of sucked, in all sorts of ways. That's what makes them special and why you buy them and restore them - so you can make them suck less than they did or enjoy their quirks again.

      Seriously... No... Just, no. They were *worse* than American cars until about 1982 - with a few exceptions. Germany started really making good stuff in the 70s. Sweden? Well, not for a while longer, actually - and I'm a huge fan of both Volvo and Saab. England... Well, that depends on what you want to spend and what you want to rate for the quality metric. They usually did have some qualities, albeit not always in the same package. Italian? Well... That depends on what you want to spend. French? Surely you jest... The 80s brought about things like the K-car, from Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler. I don't suppose that you're old enough to remember stuff like the Dodge Aries K... Let's just say that that was considered the top-end of the model and it was probably one of the worst automobiles you could buy.

      Do you really believe what you wrote to be true or are you shitting me? 'Cause, umm... Yeah, that's not accurate - not even remotely.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    25. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by KGIII · · Score: 1

      You're just a whisker too young. It wasn't until about '82 that Japanese cars got to be good. They started to really improve around '78 and by '82 they were pretty good. There are actually books on the subject. One of them is from Honda himself, though I think it was ghostwritten. Prior to that? Oh, my... He wasn't kidding about the 70's Mazda. They were made out of trash. Literally... They were poorly recycled and very low-end materials as they didn't have a whole lot of money behind them.

      It wasn't until the boom and the oil crunch that they got some money behind them. They did the smart thing and didn't use that increased wealth to pay a few rich fucks at the top. They invested in making better cars. Arguably, they make some of the best cars today. In the 80s, that was certainly true - even into the mid-90's it was true. The US has upped their game but I don't buy many American cars, not as a general rule. My RV and trucks are all from the US but I've owned (and own one still) foreign-made trucks. Hell, I invented a game with a 1986 Nissan. It was just a "Pickup." That's was its name, as I recall. It was 2WD and fairly skinny. I used to take it out with my 4WD friends and go everywhere that they went - and further. Oh, I couldn't pull them out if they got stuck... But, I could keep going, forever. It was fun.

      Anyhow, no... No. You're just a whisker too young but it was easy to catch as you indicated when you started driving. Go back about 10 year before that. Then we had a couple of events that changed the oil market and a lot of people figured that those cars with 20 and 30 MPG were pretty good - compared to 8 and 12 MPG. An oddity that I noticed... It was during the oil embargo that I noticed the disposable lighter and we increased our use of plastics. I've never really figured out the why of that.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    26. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by KGIII · · Score: 1

      And the same logic for the Trooper, the Tundra, and a few other hundred (thousand?) models by every manufacturer on the planet. But no, it's different this time!

      Full disclosure: I'm quite invested in Tesla.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    27. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I stopped and thought about this one for a few minutes. I'm pretty sure that it's actually really ironic that this post was made by an AC. I wonder if they think we should make an exception for them and see the insight and brilliance of their post - just this one time, and act on it or if we should just disregard it because they're an AC.

      I'm reminded of the posts (from an AC) that deride other ACs for posting as AC, not having an account, and even suggesting that /. should do away with the AC system. And, if one is curious, they seem to not actually be saying it with their tongue in their cheek. They seem to not notice the disconnect. Of course, they're an exception or, amusingly, have an account but are posting as an AC.

      Life... It's funny like that.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    28. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      You could head over to the Tesla forums of Speak EV, there are plenty of threads about these issues on there. Look, a well respected guy in the community with so many videos about the Model S that Tesla gave him a free Model X said something, and you could verify it with a quick google if you have doubts. Just demanding further proof is not some kind of cheat code for winning arguments.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    29. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous+Psychopath · · Score: 1

      Yup. I don't think I've ever owned a car that hasn't had a recall notice. It's a fair point, though, that Tesla is a young, relatively small company that may have more difficulty handling the financial impact of a large-scale recall than some of the more established players. But when I say that, I'm thinking of something more like VW's diesel issues rather than the more mundane type of thing we typically see.

      --

      Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

    30. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by mspohr · · Score: 1

      Tesla had a problem with not enough lubrication in the drive train gears for a few months production (late 2013). Those cars developed a noticeable "milling" noise in the gears. Tesla replaced the entire drive train in those cars since it is very easy to just drop out the entire assembly and bolt in a new one. The factory is better equipped to take apart the assembly and replace the faulty gears.

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    31. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by clong83 · · Score: 1

      I took a graduate course in manufacturing reliability when I was in grad school. One of the more interesting things I learned from that class was that the Japanese recognized very quickly that the US car market was their best chance at international success, being the largest market around at the time. They figured the best way to win the market was by building a reputation as a reliable car manufacturer.

      All parts off the line obviously have a desired spec, with an allowable tolerance. Actual parts produced vary a bit within that tolerance, and a few will even fall out of it. So they built a system where the car parts that matched spec most closely were used to build cars destined for the US. Parts inside the spec tolerance, but not at the same "A-level, spot on" were used to build cars destined for Japan and Europe. Car parts that were barely in tolerance or even out of it were used to build cars for Africa. So the US market got cars that were noticeably "better" than the US manufacturers. The US manufacturing capabilities weren't actually that much worse than the Japanese, but they didn't presort their cars by expected reliability for separate markets like the Japanese makers, which led to a lot more "lemons" showing up in car lots.

      That was all back in the 70s. Obviously things have changed since then. But, according to my reliability engineering professor, that was how the Japanese automaker built their US reputation for quality.

    32. Re: Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wipe that muskjizz offa yer chin, boy!

    33. Re: Big freakin whoopdie doo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dealerships aren't getting a thick subsidy for each vehicle they sell.

      The point of this discussion is scaling. Can Tesla scale up to be more than a boutique carmaker. We're sure you are happy with your luxury class vehicle.

    34. Re:Big freakin whoopdie doo by thatDBA · · Score: 1

      The Safest? What statistical evidence is there to support this? VOLVO's LAST generation XC90 (released in 2003 for the US) has already been recognized by the IIHS for going a significant number of model years without any deaths and IIRC the Acura MDX received the same recognition. Just because Musk says its the safest doesn't mean so. Volvo has decades of real world crash statistics (including blood splatter patterns) for car interiors they have use to refine their cars for decades. If find it funny Musk directly compared the crash test results of a 65K+ Model S vs a 34K+ Volvo S60. Has ANY Tesla been subjected to the IIHS Small Overlap Crash Test? (I wonder why). Volvo started engineering their cars to handle Small Overlap Frontal Collisions over 20 years ago. When the IIHS started performing Small Overlap Frontal Crash test even Mercedes with its vaunted safety credentials was caught off guard. How well will a Tesla front seat hold up to high speed rear collision - something not currently tested for? Both Volvo & Mercedes engineer their seats not to collapse in such collisions. Volvo has already set a goal for no serious Deaths or Injuries in their new models by 2020 and part of reaching that goal is their advanced autonomous driving capabilities. Yes the new XC90 can steer its way out of certain collisions autonomously too & all Volvos come standard with autonomous City Safety Braking. IIHS statistics prove that Volvo's with City Safety Braking have reduced collisions rates significantly for Volvo models versus competitors.

    35. Re: Big freakin whoopdie doo by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Actually, only the buyers get tax breaks. BUT, the dealers get some massively nice profits that are now cut out.
      As to scaling, The Model X, which is considered the most complex car ever made, has in 3 months scaled up 10x, and is expected to scale up another 3-6x within the next 6 months. IOW, by next sept, they will be producing at a level of around 60-90K / year.

      Can Tesla scale up to doing 100K on the M3 in its first year? Yeah, I have no doubt that in the first 12 months they will hit 100K or more. Why?
      Because Tesla has already scaled up the majority of their factory. The paint line does .5-1 cars / year. They have a number of stampers, but the new one ALONE can do all of the stamping for .5-1M cars / year. And M3 is supposed to be the most robotic car line ever developed. Tesla expects that M3 will take the least amount of labor of any car for something similar.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  3. F.U.D. by quintessencesluglord · · Score: 5, Informative

    Apparently the author isn't aware of the thousands of recalls other manufacturers make, and is further unaware several owners forgo getting service since the recalls are often for minor issues that don't really affect them.

    If anything, Telsa taking the extra steps to prevent a potential problem should relieve Model 3 purchasers that Tesla stands behind their products.

    1. Re:F.U.D. by OhPlz · · Score: 1

      It's a problem when it affects enough of the vehicles you've sold. Toyota didn't have a fun time with the recalls over floor mats and pedals. Their service centers ran extended hours for months and they had car rental agencies handling loaners because the dealers didn't have enough. I imagine Tesla is in an odd position since they do direct sales, they don't have dealerships all over to handle these recalls.

    2. Re: F.U.D. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The author is probably hoping to buy some shares in Tesla but finds the price too expensive after the model3 spike.

    3. Re:F.U.D. by quintessencesluglord · · Score: 1

      Toyota also had a bit of a media blitz with nightly reports on how your Prius was trying kill you, dramatic recreations of how a car that does 0-60 in over 13 seconds could accelerate uncontrollably (narf!), and a general concern that maybe hybrid technology wasn't as safe as burning dinosaurs. I suppose an all points bulletin to remove the floor mats until your next oil change would have been anticlimactic given the drama.

      And while near 200,000 pre-orders seems like a big deal now, it is small potatoes compared to when American V8s ruled the land, and a model wasn't considered successful until it sold over 1 million units.a year. Those cars also had recalls (often quietly done with your next service), and manufacturers survived.

      The expectation that Tesla needs to be perfect in execution for the Model 3 when no manufacturer has managed that previously is just the mark of a reporter who has no idea of how the automotive business operates. This is little different than the scaremongering about battery packs being punctured during accidents (when going near 100MPH) and even then Tesla went above and beyond with freaking titanium shields! Can I get a hallelujah?

      I'm not even a fan of the cars, but Musk gets my respect for putting engineering over dollars, and considering the 3 will be a less complex model that the X, I imagine the execution will be even easier as they've gone down this road a few times, and their results have consistently been excellent.

      I sincerely doubt any of the pre-orders are having second thoughts with this article.

    4. Re:F.U.D. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Correction: The author assumes the reader isn't.

    5. Re:F.U.D. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      Apparently the author isn't aware of the thousands of recalls other manufacturers make, and is further unaware several owners forgo getting service since the recalls are often for minor issues that don't really affect them.

      As much as you and other posters are trying to make this about the other car manufacturers, it's not about them. Others are trying to spin this into "how wonderful Tesla is for standing behind their cars". It's not about that either. Both groups are missing the point entirely.

      If Ford issues a recall for 20,000 or even 200,000 cars, they have a massive network of dealers and service centers across the country. Tesla doesn't. (Here in Washington, there's as many Ford dealers in my semi-rural county as there are Tesla dealers in the entire state.) As more and more Tesla cars hit the road, and as they age (meaning more time for defects to be found) this lack of a service and support network could be a significant problem.

      Tesla has been dealing in the high end/luxury segment of the market. Now they're trying to move into the average/affordable market and with that change in markets comes a change in expectations. In addition to competing on range and price, will now have to contend with competing on availability of service as well. An average Joe in Spokane who owns a Tesla isn't going to be very happy with having to drive his car (or worse yet, have it towed or transported) almost three hundred miles to one of the two dealers in Seattle for recall work. (And neither of the service centers looks to be particularly large - more than a couple dozen vehicles at once might saturate them.) A Tesla might not need service very often, but that's cold comfort for Joe when his Tesla does need service and he can't drop it off at the dealer on his way home, pick up a loaner, and still be home in time for dinner.

      As Tesla's production and number of cars on the road increase (more than doubling if even half the people who have put down deposits on the Model 3 follow through), the rest of their network needs to scale as well. That's as sure and certain as day follows night.

    6. Re:F.U.D. by Smidge204 · · Score: 1

      Tesla has dozens of service stations around the country, and partners with existing local shops. In cases like this, it's even possible that a Tesla technician will be sent to your home or wherever to handle the problem; they already offer on-site service for an additional fee, so they are equipped to do it.

      I think they've considered service coverage and have a plan to handle it.
      =Smidge=

    7. Re:F.U.D. by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      You make it sound like a dealer network is the only way to solve this problem, and that Tesla hasn't thought this through and has a solution. Neither are the case.

    8. Re:F.U.D. by jeremyp · · Score: 1

      If you have to recall 300,000 cars and you have got "dozens of service stations", what impact do you think a recall would have on those service stations? I count 71 in the USA. Each one has to deal with 4,225 recalls on average. How long do you think it's going to take? How much is it going to cost? Don't forget to include parts and labour. The Tesla of today would not be able to cope with such a vast recall.

      Of course, the model 3 isn't due to appear for more than two years, so Tesla has some time to expand its support network. It also does not have to "get as many Model 3s manufactured and out on the road as soon as humanly possible" [from TFS]. Just because you have 300,000 preorders for a car, it doesn't mean you need to satisfy all of the orders on day one. As long as the growth and production are carefully managed, a recall for something like a seat hinge is not going bring the company down. A recall for a faulty battery that needs replacing might, but that is probably already true today.

      --
      All I want is a secure system where it's easy to do anything I want. Is that too much to ask ~~ Randall Munroe
    9. Re:F.U.D. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      since the recalls are often for minor issues

      I once had a recall on a Dodge Stratus (a coupe, so it was really just a rebadged Mitsubishi Eclipse). The problem? A sticker on the underside of the hood showed an incorrect depiction of the location of various fluid dipsticks in the engine compartment. That's about as minor as an issue gets. My response to that was something like: "Closed. Wontfix."

    10. Re:F.U.D. by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      Tesla is the new Apple.
      Model S is no longer on Consumer reports recommended because of reliability issues no one cares.
      Chevy Bolt will ship before the Model 3 will probably be cheaper and has a 200 mile range and no one cares.
      Tesla Model 3 will not ship for at least a year but people are handing Tesla money long before the car ships.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    11. Re:F.U.D. by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Toyota's REAL problem was that they tried hard to not take responsibility for their product.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    12. Re:F.U.D. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do your posts make sense to you? Have you ever tried reading one back to yourself before posting it?

    13. Re:F.U.D. by KGIII · · Score: 1

      You say that like it's a bad thing. That, my good sir, depends on when you invested in shares.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    14. Re:F.U.D. by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      And if the 3 ship date slips or the price goes up....

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    15. Re:F.U.D. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      It's almost like you didn't read what I wrote. You certainly failed to comprehend it.

    16. Re:F.U.D. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      You make it sound like a dealer network is the only way to solve this problem

      Is there a different way than a network of dealers and service centers? Feel free to contribute your ideas.
       

      that Tesla hasn't thought this through and has a solution.

      You have information to this end? Feel free to share it.
       

      Neither are the case.

      Basically, you seem to have nothing to support your case save blind optimism. Thanks for playing, but you don't even get a used copy of the home game with half the pieces missing.

    17. Re:F.U.D. by OhPlz · · Score: 1

      No. The feds pushed all that drama to try and motivate people to buy from the failing US car makers. If you want to talk about failing to take responsibility, look at GM and the faulty ignition switch that ended up killing people.

    18. Re:F.U.D. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I haven't owned a vehicle that didn't have several recall notices; but most of them weren't urgent recalls and were just done if I brought my vehicle to the dealer for other service. People literally died due to the unintended acceleration issue. I guarantee that all of the vehicles recalled for floormats also had other minor recall notices at some point in their warranty period.

    19. Re:F.U.D. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People died from the Toyota issue, as well. At least 21, as many as 100. Neither the Toyota nor the GM recalls were overblown.

    20. Re:F.U.D. by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      Is there a different way than a network of dealers and service centers? Feel free to contribute your ideas.

      You really are quite lacking in imagination. Not that you need much imagination given that it what Tesla already do. Outsource to service centres. You don't have to have dealer networks selling cars in order to have local service centres servicing cars.

    21. Re:F.U.D. by OhPlz · · Score: 1

      I bet there are plenty of vehicles on the road that are susceptible to someone installing a floor mat wrong and ending up with it applying pressure to the accelerator. I think it was last August when the NHTSA declined to reopen the issue because no faults could be found in the engine computers despite owners claiming their cars accelerated without driver input. It was hysteria. If you removed the floor mat, you were fine. If you installed the floor mat properly such that the hook connected with the eyelet, you were fine. I had a Toyota at the time and they replaced my accelerator pedal during an annual state inspection without my permission and for no good reason. People were trying to "cash in" on the madness, remember that asshole who was being chased by the police that was breaking and apply gas at the same time? That wasn't the car that was the problem.

      The GM issue was absolutely a problem and they attempted to cover it up. Toyota? Not so much.

    22. Re:F.U.D. by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      BOTH attempted to cover it up and take no blame. Just like VW, Daimler, Audi, etc tried to cover up their cheats, regardless of how many it was indirectly killing.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  4. A PR nightmare indeed! by pushing-robot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What sort of dangerous idiots fix a potential problem pre-emptively out of an abundance of caution?

    Tesla must learn to do the right thing by its customers: cover up defects until the wrongful death lawsuits start rolling in.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
    1. Re:A PR nightmare indeed! by gweihir · · Score: 2, Informative

      Not everybody want to do business according to the traditional US "screw the customer as best as possible" "capitalist" model. Some may want the dual satisfaction of delivering a good product and still making quite a bit of money off it. And no, that is not socialism, not screwing over your customer is a very, very capitalist thing to do, it just requires the ability to think strategically.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    2. Re:A PR nightmare indeed! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean 'the right thing by its shareholders'

    3. Re:A PR nightmare indeed! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      TO comply with this tesla must move the battery pack to the back and place it without sufficient protection from bol
      ts that could impact it in a crash just to save $1. Bonus points if they modify the rear doors to jam and prevent rear passengers escaping the fire after all lives are less expensive than a $1 fix and dont fix it until they are sued for multiple deaths

    4. Re:A PR nightmare indeed! by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 2, Insightful
      The company is still being run by the founder and the visionary leader. That is the source of this problem. Just wait till it goes public and institutional share holding crosses the threshold.

      Then the MBAs will move in. They will pay themselves first, raid the cash reserves, cash out the good will. Define short term is tomorrow and long term as this quarter. Once they move in, they will make sure profits are made in their tenure and the wrongful death law suits come after their stock options have vested and cashed out.

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    5. Re:A PR nightmare indeed! by silentcoder · · Score: 2

      You're assuming that will happen - there's no actual law that says it has to.
      The company I work for was founded in the 1970s by a visionary in his field with a view to a certain way of doing business. That way of doing business was a key competitive edge, and a fundamental part of it is that the company must be privately owned, not publicly traded - so that the company's incentives will align with those of customers and not shareholders.
      He not only wrote that into the company charter, he made it part of the contract for every person who became a share-holder in the private company that in order to acquire shares they must agree to
      1) never ever make the company public
      2) Never ever give shares to anybody else who did not agree to the same two agreements.

      It's like a GPL for "make sure the company is eternally private". Now, in 2015, we remain one of the smaller companies in our industry, the only private one in the industry - and consistently the best performing company in the industry. We may not have nearly as many customers as the others - but our customers are by far the most loyal, because what we offer is worth it. We charge less and deliver more. The founder hasn't been involved in the company for 2 decades and each of his successors not only shared that vision but made damn sure THEIR successor was somebody who shared it as well.

      And no, I'm not marketing and I won't reveal the name of the company or even what industry we are in. Suffice to say - that it's perfectly possible for a company to be private for-ever.

      Hell, sometimes a company can BECOME private when the founders are not happy with how "going public" ended up - that happened with Virgin. Virgin became publicly traded in the 1990s, within 6 months Branson came to despise the pressures that the board was putting on him and the things they were demanding. Things that would, sure enough, increase profits but he believed would do so to the detriment of customers which would ultimately cost him the brand loyalty that made the company succeed in the first place.
      So he bought back every share at the original list price, and took the company private again.

      --
      Unicode killed the ASCII-art *
    6. Re:A PR nightmare indeed! by lexman098 · · Score: 1

      See also: Paypal

    7. Re:A PR nightmare indeed! by KGIII · · Score: 2

      Tesla went public years ago. Not many years but, still, years.

      In other words, shares were once $24 each. Well, they were when I got 'em. You might wanna get in now and just not be too greedy and bail before it goes bad. Then again, it might not go bad. Either way, there's a number that will be crossed and that's when I'll sell. It has gotten pretty close to that number but it hasn't crossed it just yet. I expect that number to be crossed when the release date for the Model 3 hits. Actually, I expect it to happen just before that. And that's when I'll be bailing and no longer invested in Tesla. There are a few events that could make me sell sooner but they're unlikely to happen, so it's a dollar amount.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  5. HuffPo has clickbait concern trolling covered by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    A company acts responsibility without using Fight Club's recall formula? Before dozens of people end up dead, like the Ford Exploder, Firestone edition, or GM who thought lives were too expensive to spend another fifty cents per ignition? Get a life, dooshbag.

  6. Related links... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ok, so Slashdot thinks this story is somehow related to the story "10 Confirmed Dead In Shooting at Oregon's Umpqua Community College" Can anyone find any actual relationship to this? Because I sure can't.

    In other news, good on Tesla for doing this stuff ahead of time instead of waiting until people die to do a recall.

    1. Re:Related links... by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Both are from the NW USA. Sheesh! Isn't it obvious how they're related!

      (I've long since learned to ignore that part of the page.)

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  7. FUD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    This summary reads like a bunch of FUD. A complex product like a car, a microprocessor, or any software product is bound to have defects. Even rigorous testing isn't going to uncover all of the defects prior to shipping. I don't think that having defects in the product is nearly as harmful to Tesla as the story suggests. The cars won't be perfect. However, the testing should be rigorous enough to find obvious defects so they're removed prior to shipping. And the most important thing is honesty. GM covered up the need to recall dangerous vehicles, which undoubtedly caused many unnecessary injuries and deaths. The VW emissions scandal is just as egregious. The issue isn't that some defects won't be found during testing; that's to be expected. However, honesty is important, in issuing recalls and fixing the problems as soon as possible. Being honest and recalling products promptly is the next best thing to a product that doesn't have serious defects. I don't thing problems with the cars will be particularly damaging to Tesla provided they're honest and prompt in how they respond.

  8. shhhhhh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Its a sad day when Slashdot links articles on BGR...What is this site TMZ? Lame

  9. Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Model 3 rollout will go swimmingly. This article makes a mountain out of a molehill. Recalls are negligible operations when compared to vehicles being manufactured on an assembly line. My wife and I each pre-ordered one and can't wait!!

  10. whatever! by n3r0.m4dski11z · · Score: 1

    Car recalls go like, you get a letter in the mail or do the research yourself and then make an appointment at the dealership for no charge repair. If they notice anything amiss they may say something, but that's about the worst thing that can happen.

    I'm surprised someone would make such a big deal of tesla doing this when every single car company has the same problem. Of course they know its much better for PR to fix the damn cars, especially as of late.

    The point is a recall is trivial from a customers perspective, and a company doing the right thing is nothing but good press (which is like crack to a brand).

    The author of the article either doesn't know how the car industry works, or i guess, own a car that has had recalls, (which is every car).

    --
    -
    1. Re:whatever! by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Tesla is threatening a lot of conservative, inflexible and greedy companies, that are used to be able to screw over their customers with nothing much happening to them as a result. These are obviously investing a lot of money into "reporting" that bad-mouths Tesla.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    2. Re: whatever! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I seem to recall Tesla wants to run their own dealerships. Who's the greedy one?

    3. Re: whatever! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you honestly believe that big car companies have independent dealer networks out of the kindness of their hearts? Look for the bottom line: They makes tons of money from those dealers.

    4. Re: whatever! by gweihir · · Score: 1

      You forget that Tesla is not carried by most/all existing dealerships. And suddenly your argument vanishes into nothing.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    5. Re: whatever! by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      I seem to recall Tesla wants to run their own dealerships. Who's the greedy one?

      You're right, adding middlemen to any transaction always makes the experience cheaper and more pleasant for the purchaser.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    6. Re: whatever! by KenHansen · · Score: 1

      You forgot to factor in competition - having multiple dealers competing for business DOES lower prices in most cases. Eliminating the middle-man does not necessarily mean the markup the middle-man would have added disappears, it could simply be claimed by the manufacturer.

  11. every time I see a GM car I think about the recall by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Will that car have an airbag recall or ignition key recall? I think about this every time I see an ad for a GM car. How can we trust them any more? Well they certainly will have to get the next model perfect or else something scary will probably happen to somebody. And you should sell their stock too.

  12. You get what you pay for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pay for shit and get shit. Stay with the Asian designs and stay safe on the dangerous roads.

  13. Thank you Tesla by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    The big difference between Tesla and all of the other car makers, is that Tesla/Musk will not only solve the problem, but go back and fix the broken ones, WITHOUT the feds telling them to.
    OTOH, MB, VW, Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, etc work hard to cheat at everything.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:Thank you Tesla by gweihir · · Score: 1

      And that may just be one of the reasons behind the large number of pre-orders for the Model 3. Customers are generally not very bright, but if screwed over repeatedly, they begin to notice and start to look for alternatives.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    2. Re:Thank you Tesla by avandesande · · Score: 1

      And what are those.. the Chevy bolt? All the other EVs look like complete crap and would be embarrassing to drive. I don't want to go to far into depth but a lot of car styling is predicated on companies not wanting to cannibalize their marque cars....so they give them crappy 'inspirational' styling.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    3. Re:Thank you Tesla by gweihir · · Score: 1

      I think you misunderstand what I am saying. I am saying the Tesla is the alternative and hence the large number of pre-orders for the Model 3.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    4. Re:Thank you Tesla by avandesande · · Score: 1

      Just desperate to rant at what an awful car the bolt is ; )

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    5. Re:Thank you Tesla by gweihir · · Score: 1

      You are of course welcome to do so ;-)

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  14. Re:3 is going to be a clusterfuck... by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Please short Tesla with everything that you have. Stand up and be a man. Oh, wait, you are an AC.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  15. Bullshit. "Flawless" is not required by gweihir · · Score: 1

    "Reasonable" quality is entirely fine and you can always get that with solid engineering. This also means that Tesla is _not_ going to push these out as fast as possible, they are going to make sure best practices are followed and a certain amount of over-engineering and over-testing is happening. There is no sane reason for this alarmist nonsense.

    I do have to say that the non-understanding of sound engineering practices in /. stories is on the raise and in the process of reaching astonishing heights.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  16. Re: 3 is going to be a clusterfuck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The pre-orders are not commitments. This will definitely light a fire under the asses of other car manufacturers. I'm tempted to see what other alternative-powered offerings will come about, particularly from BMW and Porsche.

  17. The laws of reality at work by DrXym · · Score: 1
    Tesla are not exempt from the norms of car production. They might extensively test their cars but there will always be problems which are not fixed before release and there will be problems discovered after release due to accidents, servicing and repairs. Virtually every new vehicle suffers faults, most of which are rectified as production matures. Those people who buy too early get to enjoy all of them and only the most serious ones will trigger a recall or a repair during servicing.

    That's why it is sensible to wait a few years. Never buy version 1.0 of anything as expensive and potentially ruinous as a new car. I really don't know why anyone would plunk cash down on a Model 3 when it runs the exact same risks (and Tesla hasn't exactly bothered to say what features or spec the $35k car will have beyond some basics). On the plus side, some people on that list will be waiting 4 or 5 years so perhaps they'll get a better, more mature car than those who take delivery sooner.

    1. Re:The laws of reality at work by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      The Model 3 won't run the same risks because they have all the organizational knowledge gained by all the mistakes and prototypes of the Model X to work from. Even the things that work in the Model X but that they've seen are sub-optimal in practice tell them how to do better in the Model 3.

    2. Re: The laws of reality at work by KenHansen · · Score: 1

      On the plus side, some people on that list will be waiting 4 or 5 years so perhaps they'll get a better, more mature car than those who take delivery sooner.

      I think pre-orders are being collected to secure funding to take a Tesla to the next level with regard to production volume. I doubt it will take tesla 4 or 5 years to build a quarter million Model 3s.

    3. Re:The laws of reality at work by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      lol. Why would somebody plunk down money for an M3? Because if there IS a problem, Tesla fixes them. FAST.
      Other car companies have to be forced into it. And look at all the idiots that bought VW, BMW, Audi, Porsche, etc with their diesels. What are those cars worth? A fraction of what was paid. And what are those companies doing to make right their criminal behavior? They fired some programmers blaming this on them, even though it was obviously ordered from the top down. But what about the car value? What will they do to make things right? NOTHING.

      The fools that bought those cars are out 30-50% of their car values.

      I will take a tesla because they fix their problems. They even fix the problems when it is a 3rd parties fault. In particular, ALL of the recalls have been to replace 3rd party parts that did not perform as they were supposed to.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    4. Re:The laws of reality at work by DrXym · · Score: 1

      Nonsense. By that logic every car manufacturer should produce cars which operate flawlessly. After all they have the organizational knowledge of not just a couple of models but HUNDREDS of them. Even major manufacturers with established reputations still regularly issue recalls for serious safety issues and still carry out less serious but important repairs during the course of servicing & repair.

    5. Re: The laws of reality at work by DrXym · · Score: 1

      It'll take Tesla 2 years before a single model 3 rolls out of their line. Even if they secured funding right now to increase capacity, it doesn't magically happen just like that. It's not unreasonable to suppose it will take at least 2 or 3 more years for people at the end to receive their vehicles.

    6. Re:The laws of reality at work by DrXym · · Score: 1

      Someone needs to look up what a non sequitur is. Just because some other cars experienced issues, it does not follow that it is wise to place money on a car which doesn't exist and won't exist for several more years.

    7. Re:The laws of reality at work by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      That happens less on tried-and-true platforms, like GM's D platform with the EcoTec engine, than it does with new and experimental platforms. This is why the Chevrolet Cobalt is a solid car, why so many GMCs are solid cars, why the Mazda 3 is such a fantastic car, why many Fords are great, and so forth; and yet a new model of Audi will come out sometimes and have ridiculous problems like the brakes decide to up and fail, or the Prius of all things would accelerate out-of-control in its first production run but never had that problem again in subsequent model-years.

      Do you see Toyota's tried-and-true platforms experiencing problems along side the brand-new Prius? Do you see the modern Prius experiencing the problems of its predecessor?

      The Model X is not new like the Tesla Roadster; it's new like the Model S. The Model S had inadequate battery protection, poorly-designed seat locks, standby programming errors that ate battery power, problems with the recessing door handles, and a whole slew of other issues; and it also had a solid production and sale process (despite industry resistance), something the Roadster staggered a bit on. The Model X, without willful and malicious intent, will not experience inadequate battery protection, poorly-designed seat locks, standby programming errors that eat battery power, chargers that catch fire and explode, (old) problems with recessing door handles, or other Model S issues Tesla now knows how to avoid.

      In other words: the Model X is basically next year's model S.

      And, yes, major manufacturers with established reputations do, in fact, issue far fewer recalls for newer cars than for the earlier models in their platforms, and for earlier models in their production history. They make more mistakes early and learn from them; or are you going to tell me you're no smarter than you were when you were 4 years old because you've never learned a single thing in your life, and you make exactly the same mistakes today, and the same amount of mistakes, with just as serious consequences?

      If you think organizations don't learn and develop organizational knowledge to improve efficiency and reduce risks, you're delusional, stupid, or both.

    8. Re:The laws of reality at work by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      and yet, ppl take out options all the time on various items that do not exists yet. And as far putting down 1K, the majority of these ppl are getting 33% knocked off the base price. Not a bad deal.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  18. More sales = more cars by ConfusedVorlon · · Score: 1

    Hardly a massive insight.
    If Tesla sell more cars, then they'll have to recall more cars in any future recall.
    Yup.

    Why is this news?

  19. Hey guys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did you know that if you sell a huge amount of an expensive product then you might still have a lot of costs if you have to recall the product

  20. Will Tesla go bankrupt due to recalls? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There will be problems. Are there more per capita tesla drive unit failures than engine failures on a BMW Mini?

    The real question is will Tesla be able to afford the recalls? Will their pockets be deep enough by the time the Model 3 begins to delivered?

    1. Re:Will Tesla go bankrupt due to recalls? by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Nope. The drive unit failures were only from the first 2 years and that is pretty much gone. Nearly all of the changes have occurred during service calls and are relatively inexpensive.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  21. Re:3 is going to be a clusterfuck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Go back to SeekingAlpha, troll.

  22. This article.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ..is bullshit. 2700 vehicles? At least they care enough to do it. Let's look at some other auto manufacturers in the news recently.......

    And no it does NOT "highlight risks for the model 3 rollout". Sounds like whoever wrote this is the EHS idiot at my work. Have to hold hand rails on staircases at all time. Have to put lids on all hot liquids, have to identify and report 6 safety things a month even if there ARE NONE.

    *manufactured* risk... ..|..

  23. Re:3 is going to be a clusterfuck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    IF their factory ran at the levels it did when the previous owner had it... They'd cap out at about 6000 cars a week.

    Citation?

    They are nowhere near this level of production)

    Citation?

    And IF they could actually meet that level... There's not enough batteries on the planet to fill those 6000 cars a week.

    Citation?

    (they are nowhere near this level of production at the still unfinished gigafactory)

    Citation?

    What no supporting evidence? You shills need to get unionised. Better pay rates might help raise the standards above Youtuber comments level.

  24. Completely unnecessary clickbait FUD by walkeraj · · Score: 1

    How about "Tesla leaves nothing to chance with Model X Seat Recall". Seriously, you'd think this post was written by an auto industry insider with all of the negative spin and shade being thrown at Tesla. Recalls happen all the time. This is no different. They're putting safety first.

    --
    Those days are dead and gone and the eulogy was delivered by Perl. --Rob Pike
  25. Ob Fight-Club reference by DrYak · · Score: 1

    The car recall formula

    (Sorry I only find this one with the infographics visuals. I didn't manage to find the original movie scene. I guess it's too long for Google/DMCA "fair use" criteria).

    - What car company are you working for ?
    - Major one

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
  26. Model 3 Isn't Going to be a Flood by avandesande · · Score: 1

    Just like the other Tesla models they are going to trickle into the market and hopefully the worst recall items will be discovered early on.

    --
    love is just extroverted narcissism
  27. What's the problem? by KenHansen · · Score: 1

    So Tesla has about 150K pre-orders for their latest model, ford sells as many as 500K F-150 pickup trucks per year, and recalls by the 'big three' typically involve several years which could involve millions of vehicles. This is the cost of doing business at this level...

  28. We have got by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To stop doing this, rushing things to market before they are ready (particularly with autonomous vehicles). Rushing a software release is one thing, you get a funny chat bot. But these are heavy machines filled with people. Silicon valley has literally bought the government to secure non-regulation and it is sickening.

  29. Sounds pretty safe to me by Theovon · · Score: 1

    So, basically what we’re hearing is that although there are zero reported cases of this hinge failing, Tesla is recalling them and replacing the weak component.

    Sounds like they’re being super proactive and cautious. If I had the money to order a Model 3, I’d plunk it down right now.

    Mind you, I haven’t been in an accident in 24 years. The next time it happens is more likely to be someone else’s fault than my own. I’m not the best driver in the world, but I’m pretty cautious. I back away from other vehicles whose movements make me nervous, I’m not aggressive about pulling into traffic, I don’t text while driving. Most of these safety features are there for people who are relatively unskilled at driving. I assume that most of those people who suck at driving are useful contributors to society in some other way. (Not to say that someone’s subjective “usefulness” should be factored into whether or not we should protect them from crushing deaths.)

  30. Another outsourced part by eth1 · · Score: 1

    The recall itself is pretty boring. They're doing the right thing by proactively fixing a problem they found.

    What I found interesting from the article I read yesterday is that the bad part in question was one of the few that wasn't made by Tesla. Just like the bad strut that caused the SpaceX launch to fail was one of the few parts not made by SpaceX.

    Musk's aversion to using third-party parts seems to be well-placed.

  31. Say what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Only tested 15 times??

  32. I completely disagree by BlueCoder · · Score: 1

    Tesla is in control of their entire chain. Their cars do come at a little bit of a premium. There is very little on the cars that can actually go wrong. For the most part Tesla would prefer if their customers brought their cars in twice a year.

    By having a "recall" it limits their liability. The vest majority of owners will choose to ignore it until two or three years down the road. The X is a premium car at the moment that will only sell so many units. Tesla has field techs that will actually drive to you and do the modifications where you live or work. All of this falls under quality control. Nothing is perfect. Quality control makes failures manageable. It also gives them data of how the cars are performing as far as wear and tear on certain choices that were leveraged to save them money in manufacturing. Think of it as field inspections.

    The only catastrophic thing that could happen to Tesla at this point would be an issue with batteries which are expensive. This is why Musk is so eager to get his gigafactories up and running. The batteries will then be a commodity that they could afford to replace if a large scale recall was needed.

  33. M3 IS going to be a flood by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Look at the Roadster. It took them 5 years to build 2400 of them. Basically, that was about getting the drive train and some of their coding figured out.
    Then came the model S. It has been in production for 5 years. It took them until last year to get up to 50K cars / year.
    Now, the MX started in Sept. and in 6 months, now produce at the same rate as MS was just 5 months ago. THey are expected to be at a rate of 100K cars / year by end of 2016.
    Now, why was MX able to scale up like that? Because Tesla has not only learned a great deal, but they have scaled up all of their equipment. Their paint shop can handle .5-1 m cars / year. They now have new stampers for their aluminum which enables them to produce parts for about .5-1 m cars / years as well. Their MS line had 50 robots and is now up to 150. Their MX line is some 300-400 robots.
    M3 is expected to be the lowest labor involved car of all time. As such, with in a short period of time, it will scale up quickly. As to recalls on it, to date, all recalls have involved 3rd party parts in which the company would cheat on their contracts (stupid). So, Tesla simply brings it in-house. M3 is expected to be the most American made car going. As in some 90-95% American made.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  34. Re:3 is going to be a clusterfuck... by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    I doubt they will get unionized. I suspect that many of them work for kock bros or for some of the major car makers.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  35. Don't call it a recall by Not-a-Neg · · Score: 1

    Call it an upgrade instead. The word recall implies something was mandated by a government or standards group. Since this is free and an improvement over the previous design just call it an upgrade.

    --
    -==- Buy a Mac and leave me alone!
  36. In other words by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

    In other words - your "solution" is the one I already mentioned, a network of dealers and service centers.

    Go the fuck back to kindergarten and get back to me when you have at least the reading comprehension of a wad of chewed bubblegum.

    1. Re:In other words by BasilBrush · · Score: 0

      In other words - your "solution" is the one I already mentioned, a network of dealers and service centers.

      You failed comprehension a second time. Idiot.

      Dealers and service centres are NOT the same thing.

  37. Reading Elon Musk's biography by Ashlee Vance by Hoverboard_Rider · · Score: 1

    Elon Musk is a tremendous leader and as his biography states, while Zuckerberg is trying to make the world share photos of cute babies, Elon Musk is trying to give mankind a better future, and possibly a way out in case of a catastrophe... It is our duty to support the Tesla. I have this crazy wish that he get interested in hoverboards and make them what they should be. His capabilities are unimaginable, yet he is a humble kind of guy. I am really impressed by this modern day icon.