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Tesla Issues Its Largest Recall Ever Voluntarily Over Faulty Model S Steering (theverge.com)

Tesla announced today that it is recalling 123,000 Model S vehicles around the world over a power steering issue. The company said via an email that it was a proactive move and none of the company's other vehicles are affected. The Verge reports: The automaker said 123,000 Model S vehicles built before April 2016 were affected. No injuries or crashes have been reported in connection with the problem. In the email, Tesla said it had, "observed excessive corrosion in the power steering bolts," but that the problem was most prevalent in colder climates where road salt is used. "If the bolts fail, the driver is still able to steer the car, but increased force is required due to loss or reduction of power assist," Tesla wrote in the email to customers. "This primarily makes the car harder to drive at low speeds and for parallel parking, but does not materially affect control at high speed, where only small steering wheel force is needed." Tesla said owners do not need to stop driving their cars if they haven't experienced any problems. The company said it would inform Model S owners when a retrofit, which is estimated to take an hour to install, is ready in their area.

131 comments

  1. Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You have to give credit where it is due. Most auto makers and other big companies would wait until there are lawsuits first. Tesla is doing the right thing here.

    1. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, stop. Plenty of auto makers do voluntary recalls all the time.

    2. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I more see this as trying to save face as their stocks fall.

    3. Re: Credit by Rei · · Score: 5, Informative

      100% of Tesla's recalls have been voluntary and arisen from internal rather than NHTSA investigations, which is not normal for "plenty of auto makers". Also, see this.

      Some important information was also left out of this summary.

      1) The corrosion-prone bolts are not in a component made by Tesla. It's made by Bosch.
      2) Because the fault is Bosch's, Bosch has to cover the cost of the replacement.

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
    4. Re:Credit by AlanObject · · Score: 1

      But of course they will be excoriated for having a problem in the first place by the usual suspects. Finally proof once and for all that Elon Musk is a delusional failure-in-the-making.

    5. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also standard. When a mfg shows a submfg part failure. The submfg gets the bill.

      Pretty standard. So, again. Who the fuck cares?

      Oh, right. It's Ellen Mask. So people have to blow sh/im constantly.

    6. Re: Credit by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 2, Informative

      Everybody's stock is falling after Trump thought tariffs would be a brilliant idea. By the way, slashdot mods who downmod me every time I describe how tariffs are a terrible idea...I told you so.

    7. Re:Credit by gravewax · · Score: 1

      yeah NO. what utter bullshit. auto makers do voluntary recalls all the time and it is usually in this type of scenario as they know in the long run it will probably become a mandatory recall if they don't do something.

    8. Re: Credit by rtb61 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Well yeah clearly you do not understand the free market, supply and demand, PR=B$ and greed. You are not charged a reasonable price based upon reasonable costs on anything what so you. You are charged the highest possible price, where increasing it further would actually reduce profit, due to significant drops in revenue as a result of diminished sales. If they could, rather than buying something and selling it with a reasonable market, they would via corruption demand to be paid to take it and them demand via that same corruption, that you pay for it at the price they demand, by regulation, fail to buy and be penalised example it's called "Obama Care", a far right medical system, dumped on the US by a whole bunch of pretend left corrupt corporate douche bags.

      So in US terms, what will tariffs do, where the maximum possible price is already being charged, reduced profit margins and there goes the share price. There is so much crony capitalism combined with corruption of Democracy that you pay the fair price on practically nothing. The price of the food you eat has been enormously artificially inflated by futures trading on food, the profit from this goes to the banks, for doing nothing other than corrupting government, you pay more for food to feed the insatiable greed of those who own banks, banks being pretty much nothing more than corporate taxation system, corporations charging taxes on all transactions.

      However tarrifs should not be random but reflect the impact of regulated costs on fair completion, those regulated costs, wages, worker safety conditions, environmental safety requirements, product safety requirements, local, state and federal taxes, fees and charges. They should not occur at random but in a national trade court, where companies can apply for fair competition relief and the appropriate tariff applied to reflect regulated costs of operation. Double plus bonus, to reduce the tariff the affected country need just apply the same regulations, and either spend that money locally or pay it at the border of another country.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    9. Re: Credit by c6gunner · · Score: 0

      Everybody's stock is falling after Trump thought tariffs would be a brilliant idea.

      My portfolio dipped by 1%. Quelle horreur.

      By the way, slashdot mods who downmod me every time I describe how tariffs are a terrible idea...I told you so.

      Keep fighting the good fight oh brave karma kamikaze!

    10. Re: Credit by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 2

      I had exactly this flaw happen in an old Subaru. I was left with a difficult to steer car. I don't remember a recall for it. So Tesla seems to be more diligent.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    11. Re: Credit by Frank+Burly · · Score: 1
      The disconnect between finance and the average American is such that bad news for stocks may be based on good news for everyone (e.g. low unemployment). But uncertainty, incompetence, and boldfaced lying are not good for either—and that is what we have now.

      Tariffs have their place to address certain issues, but see above.

    12. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, stop. Plenty of auto makers do voluntary recalls all the time.

      Including GM and Toyota?
      http://fortune.com/2015/08/24/...
      http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/...

    13. Re: Credit by Adolf+Hitler,+Jr. · · Score: 1

      A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.

      I work for a major car company.

    14. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the crap from tsla keeps on coming. Told you guys it was a major short 2 weeks ago. Could buy a model x with the proceeds but then again I'll probably never receive it and even if I did where the hell am I gonna serive it ;) mark it zero Mortimer

    15. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry but you are being played. The narrative is Trump tariffs are dropping the market. the true cause is the Federal reserve balance sheet unwind. The data is the feds own numbers.

    16. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea it's just a coincidence the day the fed starts selling the market crashes. Then when they don't the market recovers, then they do again and we get where we are at. Get ready for a Wipeout.

    17. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm gonna have fun watching the fan boys cry as it goes to zero. Fantasty is just that and you will learn a lesson.

    18. Re: Credit by vtcodger · · Score: 2

      This does not sound like a big deal. Tesla provides the mechanic with a bag with a few bolts. Mechanic puts the car on a lift, removes three or four bolts. May not be as easy as it sounds if they are severely corroded or especially awkwardly placed, but mechanics deal with that all the time Mechanic installs new bolts and torques them to spec. Car is returned to bored customer sitting in lounge drinking lousy coffee. Some paperwork gets done. Cost maybe 25 cents for the bolts, $150 for labor.

      Probably only half the Model S's ever get fixed.

      Cost for half of 123,000 vehicles -- maybe $10,000,000. Compared to Tesla's other problems $10M is pocket change.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    19. Re: Credit by ShoulderOfOrion · · Score: 1

      None of the cars I drove as a teen had power steering, or power brakes. Kids these days.

    20. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Biggest problem is that a car with a failed power steering unit is even heavier to steer than if it never had one

    21. Re: Credit by gravewax · · Score: 2

      yes, including them. would have taken you an extra 10 seconds to google and find the many voluntary recalls.

    22. Re:Credit by Computershack · · Score: 1

      You have to give credit where it is due. Most auto makers and other big companies would wait until there are lawsuits first. Tesla is doing the right thing here.

      No you don't have to give credit to Tesla. Steering joint bolts don't rust to the point of recall for many many years in any car made by any other mainstream manufacturer anywhere in the world. I've had classic cars over 30 years old with the original power steering bolts being just fine.

      --
      I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either. - Scott Adams
    23. Re: Credit by Arethan · · Score: 1

      > None of the cars I drove as a teen had power steering, or power brakes. Kids these days.

      Kindly attempt to visualize your past life driving a car that wasn't constructed prior to 1990. I sincerely apologize that you are super old, but that's how life works, and honestly that is not the debate here. However, thank you for your contribution, and the universe wholly apologizes for hosing you out of "driving cars that don't completely suck".

      Honestly. I'm 40 and this all makes perfect sense to me. Hell, I'm pretty sure even my parents would fully understand this article and not feel slighted. Are you 80+ and confused? Would you like the assistance of a sound-minded adult to assist you henceforth?

      Fucking old people, I tell ya.... If/when I get this way, please just do me a favor and assassinate me as soon as possible. If possible, I'd like it to happen during a nice breakfast: perhaps on an unsuspecting Wednesday or Thursday, while I'm sipping some coffee between enjoying bites of a nice omelet breakfast. Sounds lovely. Thanks team!

    24. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      N1ggers

    25. Re: Credit by scottrocket · · Score: 1

      There was a '68 Impala I had, the power steering pump went out; I simply took a knife to the dedicated belt. Yeah the low speed steering was harder, luckily my previous car had non-power steering, so I was used to it - and yes on the freeway, I didn't notice much difference at all.

    26. Re: Credit by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      I also drove a Subaru with failed power steering. You get used to it, and the car is still drivable. Once moving, it hardly makes a difference. If anything, I felt more connected to the road (and enjoyed driving it more) after the power assist failed -- other than the annoying moments of trying to turn the wheels while stopped, that is.

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
    27. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you mean Tesla?

    28. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Searching for appropriate moderation option. Cannot find +1 scumbag....

    29. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      2) Because the fault is Bosch's, Bosch has to cover the cost of the replacement.

      I see you fell for Musk's BS again. Bosch only covers the cost of the replacement parts. Tesla pays for the labor, which is a significant cost. I know, its hard to see everything from so far up Musk's rear end.

    30. Re: Credit by Rei · · Score: 0

      Did you short it? No? Sucks to be you.

      Go get your shorts in now, since you're so convinced that it's going down. I know some people who wanted to buy in around $250 and missed out because it only dipped to $253. Help them out.

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
    31. Re: Credit by Rei · · Score: 1

      Why hello, TTAC - I miss your Tesla Deathwatch column from a decade ago!

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
    32. Re: Credit by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      We made steering wheels smaller and reduced mechanical leverage to make the car smaller. A power source compensates for the increased force required. Failed power steering adds resistance, making the car even harder to steer.

      From what I've heard, a pure manual steering car designed around a plain rack and pinion setup gives a lot more tactile feedback and is more-pleasant to drive.

    33. Re: Credit by stabiesoft · · Score: 1

      I've driven non power assisted cars as well. Big difference. They are geared differently. IE lock to lock was 4+ turns of the wheel instead of the now more general 3ish lock to lock. Translation, your power assisted car without power will be harder to turn than your old manual steering car. Further, the S is a porker at 5K pounds roughly. Again, at slow speeds this is gong to make it very hard to turn. So, the recall is necessary, and you should absolutely get it done ASAP.

    34. Re: Credit by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      I'm sure you can cite a whole bunch them. And "voluntary" in this case can't mean, "shit we better do this or the NHSTA will sue us to oblivion after their investigation". Or "omg we've already killed 5 people, better to a voluntary recall".

    35. Re: Credit by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      None of the cars I drove as a teen had power steering, or power brakes. Kids these days.

      Same, however despite living for while without power steering, having power steering suddenly and unexpectedly fail while in transit is a very serious safety risk.

      I had it fail going around a roundabout one day. It was as jaring as a steering wheel lock engaging. I missed the exit and went around again because I couldn't turn the wheel.

    36. Re: Credit by zwede · · Score: 3, Informative

      Even less of a big deal than that. Power steering is supplied by Bosch and they are covering the recall costs. Doesn't cost Tesla anything.

    37. Re: Credit by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

      >Failed power steering adds resistance, making the car even harder to steer.

      Yep, it required a lot of torque to move the wheel. It wasn't safe to drive.

      > From what I've heard, a pure manual steering car designed around a plain rack and pinion setup gives a lot more tactile feedback and is more-pleasant to drive.

      The effect is not dramatically different, but it does feel a little more connected.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    38. Re: Credit by Jzanu · · Score: 1

      I have to agree with you ArmoredDragon! These fools obsessing over outdated economic theory divested from reality are in for some real shocks. The concepts of macroeconomics are wrong and useless outside of niches academic journals. The reality of trade is based on contracts and these kinds of sudden tariffs fuck with all of that. (This is actually called meso-economics.) Trump has killed off the last chance for American recovery.

    39. Re: Credit by TrekkieGod · · Score: 1

      Well yeah clearly you do not understand the free market, supply and demand, PR=B$ and greed. You are not charged a reasonable price based upon reasonable costs on anything what so you. You are charged the highest possible price, where increasing it further would actually reduce profit.

      Which, in a competitive market, approaches the production cost, because margins are a market inefficiency.

      If I'm the only one selling you a product you need, the answer to your question, "how much?" is "how much you got?". Which is bad, and why we should avoid monopolies and have strong anti-trust legislation. However, if I'm one of multiple vendors for an equivalent product, the moment I do that, the others will start a price war. Barring other concerns such as collusion or loss leader products, none of us are going to sell it to you at a loss, so at some point we're going to compete on other things such as convenience, quality, aesthetics, whatever it is you value. In other words, you'll get the best possible product for the best possible price.

      When that doesn't happen, it means some of the requirements aren't being fulfilled (such as no competition, or the consumers don't have perfect knowledge, or a variety of other things). In other words, we're operating at a mode that's not going to self-regulate to the point we want it to, so government regulation that corrects these issues and make it more like a free market is necessary. Sometimes that's just not feasible, I agree: people who want private roads don't really grasp the fact that you're not going to get ten different companies building parallel roads and allow you to pick the lowest toll for the best maintained road. For things like health care, it's feasible, but we need more insurance company competition, more hospital competition, and regulations that force hospitals to publish price information for procedure as well as their success rates to give consumers (and insurance companies negotiating for price) information they need to make decisions.

      That said, tariffs are not what you're looking for in terms of government interference. They just don't work at all, because they're not taking you closer to that self-regulating market. The other countries aren't going to do what you want to reduce the tariffs, they're just going to implement tariffs in other goods. Not to mention the costs for what you produce locally is going to go up, which means your exports become less competitive, your buying power decreases, which decreases production, causes people to lose jobs...basically it screws with comparative advantage. They also increase diplomatic friction. Trade partners have an interest in being friendly, which is stronger the more their economies are interdependent. Tariffs decrease the volume of trade, which decrease that interdependence / force people to search for other trade partners. Which means they don't care about keeping you happy anymore.

      --

      Warning: Opinions known to be heavily biased.

    40. Re: Credit by Thelasko · · Score: 1

      My friend's BMW had some bolts corrode on the power steering system. I wonder if it's the same part. When he asked for it to be fixed for free, BMW told him to pound sand.

      --
      One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
    41. Re:Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The bolts in question are the bolts that attach the power steering motor to the steering rack, not the steering rack joints.

    42. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The steering rack in a Model S is made by Land Rover, a Bosche company. This rack is in many cars.

    43. Re: Credit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shorted from 330 last week. Tell your friends to buy now. I need more bag holders :D

    44. Re: Credit by Rei · · Score: 1

      You didn't get it down enough for their triggers ($250). But I do - and this isn't sarcasm - wish to sincerely thank you for doing your part to get the price down enough for me to buy at $268. I was beginning to think I'd never get a chance to buy low before the Model 3 ramp accelerates (I plan to cash out after 9-12 months).

      So again, while it's funny being thankful for someone who I couldn't more profoundly disagree with... Thank you. Seriously.

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
  2. recall my DAMN balls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and when u sucked on them

  3. Impressed by Excelcia · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm actually impressed. While I will never own a Tesla, unfortunately, because I won't own a car where the manufacturer can issue over-the-air updates that I cannot control and which materially affect the performance of the vehicle, this is actually perhaps the most responsible way I've seen a recall handled. In most cases, recalls are forced by the NHTSA. For the most part, auto manufacturers don't wait until the NHTSA actually orders a recall, but generally the writing is on the wall that they need to voluntarily recall or the NHTSA will step in. In this case, it wasn't even on the NHTSA's radar.

    This might make me rethink my stance on Tesla.

    1. Re:Impressed by Rei · · Score: 1

      Par for the course. With the Model X rear seat recall, for example, not only wasn't it not on the NHTSA's radar, but there hadn't even been a user complaint. Same with the Model S seatbelt pretensioner - no customer reports, no injuries..

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
    2. Re:Impressed by whoever57 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      because I won't own a car where the manufacturer can issue over-the-air updates that I cannot control and which materially affect the performance of the vehicle,

      You should buy a new car soon, then, because I suspect that in 5-10 years time, all cars will do OTA updates.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    3. Re:Impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      In most cases, recalls are forced by the NHTSA. .

      NO they are not, most recalls are voluntary and issued by the manufacturer, most don't make the press though. Nothing special happening here at all. incidentally both my Mercedes and my wifes mini have had voluntary recalls for defects since we bought them (mini was also for the power steering)

    4. Re:Impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They still haven’t recalled their shit auto pilot which just murdered its third victim.

    5. Re:Impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All modern cars that visit dealers get Software updates whether you ask for it or not. This invariably fixes small flaws in various systems that impact performance in some wway or another.

    6. Re:Impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks for the astroturf.

    7. Re:Impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or in the case of my recent forced dealer update... diesel engine performance reduction to reduce emissions. I'm ok with that particular one, but a changelog would be nice.

    8. Re:Impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And you only need to go to our local dealership to have the issue resolved under warranty. Oh, no Tesla dealership in your area? Oh well.

    9. Re:Impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      because I won't own a car where the manufacturer can issue over-the-air updates that I cannot control and which materially affect the performance of the vehicle,

      You should buy a new car soon, then, because I suspect that in 5-10 years time, all cars will do OTA updates.

      Also, buy a really fast one that you'll enjoy driving on the track because within 20-30 years it will be illegal for you to operate it on a public road.

    10. Re:Impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You don't have to accept the updates. Installing them is optional. However, you cannot pick and choose among the updates. It's all or nothing.

      A bigger concern is that all Tesla's phone home with all sorts of information about the car. Tesla uses it to improve the software, especially the self driving portion. However, it's a privacy nightmare waiting to happen.

    11. Re: Impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I challenge you to find a non museum piece (ie daily driver) electric car that's 30 years old.

      Most conventional cars only last 10 to 15 years as it is.

    12. Re:Impressed by zwede · · Score: 1

      While I will never own a Tesla, unfortunately, because I won't own a car where the manufacturer can issue over-the-air updates that I cannot control.

      When there's an OTA update the car displays a message on the screen asking if you want to update. You can refuse indefinitely if you want. Some years ago a feature was removed, many Tesla owners refused updates for over a year and Tesla never forced them. The feature (auto lowering of the car at highway speeds) was eventually put back in.

    13. Re:Impressed by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      "A bigger concern is that all Tesla's phone home with all sorts of information about the car. " - people should be used to that by now with Microsoft OSes, Android and Apple Apps, new smoke alarms, IoT.... etc etc etc

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    14. Re:Impressed by lamer01 · · Score: 1

      Not if yank out its antenna or SIM card or whatever it's using to do so

    15. Re:Impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which I guarantee will void the warranty. I mean if you are happy with not having the new car 100,000 mile warranty, up to you.

    16. Re: Impressed by G00F · · Score: 1

      The average age of vehicles on the road in the U.S is 11.5 years old.
      https://www.usatoday.com/story...

      Modern-ish cars made in late 90's and early 2000's are lasting and newer models are giving few reasons to replace them. And those few reasons isn't MPG, safety, but gimmicky things like backup cameras, blue tooth, built in usb ports.

      --
      The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive
    17. Re:Impressed by whoever57 · · Score: 1

      You won't be able to rip out the SIM card because either it will be an eSIM, or it will be buried so deep behind the dash that you will never find it.

      You can remove the antenna, but then you won't have a functioning radio in the car. Modern cars use only one antenna for all radios.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    18. Re:Impressed by stoatwblr · · Score: 1

      "In most cases, recalls are forced by the NHTSA"

      WRONG. Only the most serious recalls are forced by safety authorities.

      For any given model there are usually dozens or recalls which are best described as "errata tweaks" such as fixes for bad earths, corrosion problems, fit, finish or details issue or other minor items (I saw one recall for a problem relating to the operation of interior courtesy lights as an example)

      This power steering issue is certainly higher up on the level of seriousness and that's why they've publicised it. The bigger problem is for the garages if it breaks before they can change out the bolts as it goes from a simple fix to something more drawn-out.

    19. Re: Impressed by stoatwblr · · Score: 1

      Surprisingly, when questioned the reason most people seem to be holding out is that they're waiting for electric cars and/or robocars to hit mainstream and their old car is "reliable enough" in the meantime.

  4. that's just sad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    what kind of chinesium potmetal did they make that shit out of that they're seeing this already...

    Oh yeah we're gonna have self driving! And they can't figure out bolts...

    HA!

  5. You'll have to ask the company that made the part: by robbak · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You may have heard of them - they are known as BOSCH. They make the electrics and much of the mechanics of just about every car on the road.

    --
    Prediction for end of Universe #42: Fencepost error in Quantum_bogosort.cpp
  6. Rampant histeria will now ensue by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There are a lot of businesses that would like to see Tesla fail. There is an entire country's worth of short-sellers who need to get Tesla down below their expected price. There are all of the auto manufacturers who failed to make good electric cars for us even when they certainly knew how. There are the oil companies and everyone who services them. There is every existing auto dealer. There are companies that make parts that aren't in Teslas. The list goes on.

    So, you will now see the same crazyness as the claims that the Falcom 9 made a huge hole in the atmospehere! Run and scream! What actually happened was that ionization of plasma in the ionosphere diminished for two hours due to a shock wave, and thus GPS signals might have been about a foot off in some areas near the launch, and there might have been interesting (though yet undetected) changes in HF radio propogation that hams might now notice if they look hard.

    So, now we have hundreds of thousands of Teslas on the road with rusty bolts that happen to have not hurt anyone. Hide under the bed! Tesla to go bankrupt any moment!

    They seem to make pretty good cars, and nobody took electric seriously until they came along. Nobody else can compete with them yet, although they all talk up a storm about what they're gonna do real soon now.

    Do you remember when Prius was the propaganda target? It was only a few years ago.

    1. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

      Nobody else can compete because people treat Elon like a cult leader. He can do no wrong.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    2. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, the thing is that Elon is pretty clear about his own mistakes. For example he made a film compilation of SpaceX crashes.

      So, it's not really that he can do wrong. It's that he owns his mistakes in front of everybody else, and still dares to innovate, and wins reasonably often although sometimes it's after great effort (as in the film above).

      He is also about the only big company CEO who will dare to post silly stuff. Like this. And the guy was five when Monty Python and the Holy Grail came out. So, it seems to me that he's going out of his way to convince people that he is a human rather than someone faultless.

      So, why shouldn't people like him?

    3. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by Rei · · Score: 1

      Nobody else can compete with them yet, although they all talk up a storm about what they're gonna do real soon now.

      Here's a great example of what happens when supposed "Tesla-killer" meets reality. Or take the Kona electric. Funny how a "$30k-ish 290-mile crossover" turns out to be in actuality a "hypothetically 150-mile $31k** vehicle the same size as a Bolt or Leaf that does 0-60 in 9,3 seconds", and if you want to get Bolt-style range and not as horrible acceleration (0-60 in 7,6s) you have to add on some as-of-yet price-undisclosed upgrade package. And of course, this totally-serious-vehicle meant for totally-serious-competition is only planned for production in volumes of 30k per year and only to be sold in the US in ZEV states.

      ** - They dropped the nonsensical 290 mile claim for the "extended" pack Kona and are now saying that they "estimate" it will get around 250 miles EPA rating. But since they've been playing fast and loose with the numbers so far, I wouldn't be surprised to see some fudge factor there too. It's worth noting what EPA combined ratings mean for real-world highway ranges - Bolt, for example, has a combined rating of 238 miles, but only goes about 190 miles at a steady 75mph - and it's more streamlined than the Kona. As for the $31k figure, that's presuming that the EU price that they announced already included VAT, and that there's no premium charged in the US. Otherwise, increase that base price.

      I-Pace also plays the same "Crossover" game that the Kona does, although at least not as badly. They like to pretend that it's a Model X competitor, when in reality it's far smaller - not even as long as a Model 3, let alone an S, let alone an X. Beyond everything in the above link, they've cranked up the dishonesty to 11 in their advertising, such as their "drag race" against a Model X 75D (a much larger, heavier vehicle than the I-Pace), where they then start talking swapping it out for the Model X P100D, but instead switch the driver to a 100D (no P) and hope that nobody will notice.

      And of course, for all of them... no supercharging. Aka, no road trips - at least unless you like hanging out at charging stations. I-Pace is especially bad; it's astounding how inefficient they managed to make it - something that combined with its comparatively low charging power (particularly given that most CCS stations are only 50kW) makes it fill up at a comparative crawl.

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
    4. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by Rei · · Score: 1

      Okay, that was mildly amusing... but I literally LOLed at this. ;) See it on a live map here.

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
    5. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 1

      They've just caught on to their Reddit fan club. Note how long it takes them to start talking about KSP, and how popular that is with them. Probably half of them do live with mom, and she can't get time alone no matter how many sailors come by :-).

    6. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      I'd call myself an admirer of his, but I certainly don't think he's infallible, nor do I treat him like a cult leader. I think his views about living in a computer simulation are borderline nuts, and the sky-is-falling AI doomsday warnings are ignorant paranoia.

      But there's little doubt he's doing great work with his rockets and electric car companies. We'll see about the Boring Company. The man certainly has the charisma and vision for inspiring others to make great products.

      I don't think I'm necessarily unique in these views.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    7. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 1

      Yes, I am not buying into the AI thing and the simulation thing either.

      OK, he flies around more than I do, and I have a travel-specific prescription, but it's not Ambien and I am concerned by his tweet regarding wine and ambien. Maybe he is wealthy enough that someone is always making sure that nothing bad happens when he is on that stuff. But alcohol and Ambien together make it even more likely that you will drive while sleeping and do other bizarre and dangerous stuff. Ambien alone is sometimes enough to do that. I believe that is the cause of the 2009 Diane Schuler Teconic Parkway tragedy.

      And it sounds like Elon's dad was a horror story. Most recently Elon's dad has had a child with his step-daughter. Growing up with that guy must have been no fun.

    8. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by swillden · · Score: 1

      Question for you, Rei:

      I'm considering buying a used Model S, but I'm not seeing many D versions available, and I'm concerned about how a RWD vehicle fares on snowy roads. I realize it will be better than an ICEV RWD, since their weight distribution is forward while the Model S is more balanced front to back.

      How do RWD Teslas do on snow and ice?

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    9. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by Rei · · Score: 1

      I think Björn Nyland from Norway put it best: when initially only the RWD versions were available, everyone he knew couldn't stop raving about how awesome they were on snow and ice, how they was no need for AWD, how it'd be a waste of Tesla's time and money to make an AWD version. But once Tesla came out with AWD, and people started getting a chance to drive those, one by one, all of those people eventually ended up switching over to AWD.

      Take from what what you will. :)

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
    10. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      I used to drive a RWD pickup truck. When I got FWD, I hated it in the snow. I still hate FWD. :|

    11. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by swillden · · Score: 1

      Thanks, I guess. :-)

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    12. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by swillden · · Score: 1

      I used to drive a RWD pickup truck. When I got FWD, I hated it in the snow. I still hate FWD. :|

      All due respect, you're nuts :-)

      I drive a FWD car and a RWD pickup. The pickup does okay in the snow, but only because I keep a thousand pounds of rock salt in the bed during the winter. Without that, the rear end is all sorts of squirrelly. You do have to understand the effect of FWD on traction while turning. You can't both turn and accelerate very well, because you are using the same patches of tire to do both. Only so much friction to go around... and on slippery roads, not much of that. But once you understand that, FWD is unquestionably better than RWD on slippery surfaces -- at least for ICEVs which have a big, heavy engine sitting on the front wheels.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    13. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      I made it up a hill in a 1991 Nissan hardbody light pickup with nothing in the back. Generally, loss of traction means slow going; and errant steering is oversteer, easily fixed with countersteering.

      Front wheel drive just gets stuck. When you accelerate, all the load goes onto the back wheels: the weight is no longer on the front wheels. Think about how many rear-wheel cars you've seen accelerate with the front pitching up; now think about what happens when you accelerate hard in a front-wheel drive car: the wheels hop a lot. That's because the car starts to go, and the load shifts off the front wheels and onto the rear wheels. They pitch up just like with a RWD car, but that doesn't work very well for obvious reasons.

      If you do get moving, the car torque-steers, veering off into one direction or the other (depends on which drive shaft is shorter). If your car does something weird, it's hard to get it back under control. The normal weirdness is understeer, and the response is to turn harder and hope it works; it might not work.

      Speaking of turning, you can turn from a stop in RWD. As you pointed out: in FWD, you're more-likely to lose traction, and so you turn more-slowly, so entering traffic can be perilous. This is worse when the ground is wet or (oddly enough) snowy.

      So between the big, heavy engine moving onto the back wheels as soon as you start moving and the front wheels trying to be both power and steering, you have a disaster of vehicle dynamics leading to cars stuck in the snow.

      AWD solves all of this anyway.

    14. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by swillden · · Score: 1

      I made it up a hill in a 1991 Nissan hardbody light pickup with nothing in the back. Generally, loss of traction means slow going; and errant steering is oversteer, easily fixed with countersteering.

      I'm rarely worried about getting stuck in a passenger car. If I'm going somewhere that's likely to be an issue, I take the pickup and put it in 4WD. My concern about passenger cars on snow and ice is control, and insufficiently-weighted wheels lose control easily.

      When you accelerate, all the load goes onto the back wheels

      Only if you're accelerating really hard, which you can't do on slippery roads anyway.

      The normal weirdness is understeer, and the response is to turn harder and hope it works; it might not work.

      No, if you're understeering, the solution is to let off the gas and slow down.

      AWD solves all of this anyway.

      True, but at a cost. In the case of a Tesla Model S, the cost difference between a new dual-motor car and a used single-motor car is about as much as the purchase price of a typical family sedan. And I can't find any used dual-motor Model S's for sale.

      In any case, with a Model S the weight is almost evenly distributed (48% front, 52% rear) and by all reports the single-motor, RWD version does great on snow... though dual-motor AWD is even better.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    15. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They dropped the nonsensical 290 mile claim...But since they've been playing fast and loose with the numbers so far, I wouldn't be surprised to see some fudge factor there too

      Famed Musk cock holster Rei stepping up 1523 local Iceland time!!!
      The allure of that tiny South African penis squirming in his mouth was simply too much to resist in the middle of the night!!!

      It seems like Edmunds.com editor-in-chief Scott Oldham only got 120 mile range from a Model S. That's a far cry from the claimed 300 mile range isn't it?

      Ooops, looks like Edmunds.com received some kind of DMCA takedown of that page. Archived pages still has a screen shot though.

    16. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh sorry about that chief, not 1523 Iceland time, 0323 Iceland time

    17. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      No, if you're understeering, the solution is to let off the gas and slow down.

      Don't forget you're steering, so you're probably not going to have a good time going in a straight line or wherever your car is now going. You may have entered that curve only to find you were going too fast, despite letting off the gas. You now have to hope you can brake, or get back under control; sometimes, the answer is to turn more and give it more acceleration, although that could just make it worse.

      In any case, with a Model S the weight is almost evenly distributed (48% front, 52% rear)

      Nice thing about electric cars: they usually have the batteries spanning across the center of mass, because they have a LOT of batteries. Fuel tanks are usually a little off-center (typically toward the rear). That makes the mass fluctuation as you run down the car have less of an impact on mass distribution.

      The other thing that minimizes the impact of that mass fluctuation is that fuel is heavy and burned away, while batteries only lose the mass of radiated electrical energy--which doesn't actually include the electrons themselves, and so is not practically measurable. For example: an 85kWh stored charge weighs about 3.4 micrograms--enough fentanyl to incapacitate a small rodent.

    18. Re:Rampant histeria will now ensue by stoatwblr · · Score: 1

      "You can't both turn and accelerate very well, because you are using the same patches of tire to do both. Only so much friction to go around... and on slippery roads, not much of that."

      Same on gravel roads. I used to do about 600 miles a month on unpaved roads and learned very quickly that in FWDs opening up the throttle on bends meant the car would start making a beeline for the ditch.

      The importance of that observation is that the historic preference for RWDs is far more noticeable in countries with more rural unpaved roads. (Australia, New Zealand, most of Africa, USA) and spread out populations.

  7. Re:You'll have to ask the company that made the pa by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

    BOSCH isn't even mentioned in the article. This is a mechanical problem because someone bought cheap shit from China.

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  8. Re:You'll have to ask the company that made the pa by robbak · · Score: 1

    The manufacturer of the power steering in a Tesla is written right on it. It's no mystery who made it. No, it's not in the article, but it is widely known. It is stated on other forums, like Electrek. Knowledgeable users on forums state categorically that Tesla won't even be paying for it - it's a fault with a BOSCH part, and BOSCH will be footing the bill for the repair.

    --
    Prediction for end of Universe #42: Fencepost error in Quantum_bogosort.cpp
  9. Re: You'll have to ask the company that made the p by c6gunner · · Score: 2

    BOSCH isn't even mentioned in the article. This is a mechanical problem because someone bought cheap shit from China.

    10 seconds worth of googling later ...

    "The bolts, made by German supplier Bosch, can begin to corrode after contact in cold temperatures with road salt."

    https://www.reuters.com/articl...

  10. Elon: "Oh, you wanted the car to WORK?" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Back to the drawing board! Next you're going to tell Elon that his rockets are supposed to land without expelling.

    1. Re:Elon: "Oh, you wanted the car to WORK?" by Rei · · Score: 1

      Rocket engines don't work without expelling.

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
  11. Fault by fozzy1015 · · Score: 1

    To the question of who's fault it is and should pay for replacement, Bosch made the bolt but was it to Tesla's spec? And isn't it so fortunate Tesla has plenty of service center capacity to handle the recall?

    1. Re:Fault by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bosch pays for the replacement bolts only. Tesla pays for the labor and other associated replacement costs.

  12. Necessity and Need by JBMcB · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I would like to see Tesla succeed as well. However, they have been running on borrowed time for a while now. They've never turned a profit. They have persistent quality issues. They have a huge service backlog. They have supply chain issues. They have launch issues (the 3 is their fourth product launch, they should have this stuff nailed down by now.)

    Tesla shipped around 100,000 cars last year and lost $2 billion dollars. Ford shipped roughly 2.5 millions cars last year and made $6 billion dollars. Tesla's market cap is $4 billion higher than Ford.

    This sounds like bean-counter nonsense, but it's critically important. The only way Tesla can continue to operate is to keep it's stock price up so it can fund operations by selling this expensive stock (and bonds.) This is entirely based on it's ability to continue to grow it's sales by double digits year after year. They can't get their numbers up if they can't build cars.

    The critics are right. They are dropping the ball on their fourth launch, which is inexcusable. This isn't a minor point. If one of the big three botched a launch this badly, they'd be torched by wall street and executives would be flung into the Detroit river.

    --
    My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
    1. Re:Necessity and Need by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 1

      Yes, Tesla is worth more than Ford although Ford is profitable and shipped many more cars than Tesla. The problem with Ford is that nobody sees much possibility of their being as innovative as Tesla, making cars of the same quality, or in general taking an interest in the driver who buys their stuff and the health of the world around them.

      Old companies get replaced by new ones after the old guys get ossified. That's just a fact of life. People see a lot of potential for Tesla doing that to Ford.

    2. Re:Necessity and Need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      unfortunately the potential in Tesla has so far failed to materialise and they are running out of time. Investment money is getting harder and harder for them to get and they are still burning through huge wads of cash each quarter with no sign of profitability in sight. No matter how great the potential you have to actually survive first, many companies with huge potential have died.

    3. Re:Necessity and Need by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      That sounds like every car manufacturer, except most have turned a profit. They all have persistent quality issues.

    4. Re:Necessity and Need by edtice1559 · · Score: 1

      I was with you until you said same quality as Tesla. Ford has plenty of issues, but their vehicle quality is quite good these days. The established players have really gotten their manufacturing to the point where they are within amazing tolerances. Now maybe some of the cars are boring, but they are quite well made and durable.

    5. Re:Necessity and Need by edtice1559 · · Score: 1

      Although I don't think that Musk will be putting in more of his $20B, he's got plenty of billionaire friends and lots of people see the value in Tesla. The company (and potential) certainly will survive even if they have to go through a round of bankruptcy. The *current* investors may lose their shirts, but somebody will buy the bankrupt company, raise fresh cash, and keep going. There's too much potential here to ignore.

    6. Re:Necessity and Need by edtice1559 · · Score: 1

      Quality issues seems to have a new definition. There was a time when you got 50-100k miles out of a car and it was ready for the scrapyard. They were considered "good" quality. Now if you get only 250k, it's considered "bad" quality. Or even if you get 500k but maybe the breaks squeaked a little when the car was new and an interior lamp switch fell off after only 50k miles then it would be considered "bad" quality. In reality, cars are now so good that it's getting harder to sell new ones. People can just drive what they have for the foreseeable future.

    7. Re:Necessity and Need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are dropping the ball on their fourth launch, which is inexcusable.

      To be fair, the Model 3 isn't just another launch - it's their first mass market car, with a way higher production volume required to meet demand and lower costs. Many outside analysts predicted that Tesla (or any inexperienced company) would struggle with such a leap. So, in a way it is "excusable".

      Of course, Tesla can't pay their bills with excuses...

  13. Remote control by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 1

    The biggest problem here is that nobody is regulating what Tesla can do to your car remotely from one day to the next, and the security is entirely up to them with no outside audit required. This can't really be allowed to continue as most automobiles get the remote update capability.

    And yes, buying and keeping up a pre-1973 vehicle (emission control computers came in about then) doesn't look like so bad an idea, even given the safety advancements made since '73.

    1. Re:Remote control by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Tesla are probably headed for a lawsuit over their self driving option soon. They already sold full self driving capability as a $4000 upgrade, with the promise of delivering it by software update one day.

      At the rate they are going it won't be delivered in the lifetime of many of the vehicles, and certainly not the lease period many people are on. So maybe that will trigger some regulation.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Remote control by stoatwblr · · Score: 1

      "The security is entirely up to them with no outside audit required."

      This isn't just a tesla issue. GM and others were found to be doing OTA updates using HTTP instead of https a while back and then there was the issue of unsigned USB updates.

      It's not just software issues either. The whole keyless entry system has been fatally flawed by manufacturers cheapskating and beginning with expensive rigs in the early 2000s to steal high end vehicles like mercedes that rapidly spread downmarket to the point today where a car thief can get a keyjacker system for a couple of hundred dollars that will breach the entry and keyless ignition systems of dozens of makers - the response from most has simply to try and reduce the active range of the electronic keys from 50-100 metres down to 1-2, but they haven't actually addressed the level of security (as in number of bits) until very recently and there are a LOT of vulnerable cars out there - it got to the point where insurance companies wouldn't cover things like Range Rovers unless they were securely garaged at all times when not in use as their onboard security was effectively useless.

    3. Re:Remote control by stoatwblr · · Score: 1

      All they need to do to avoid litigation is transfer the license to any new vehicle someone may buy, or offer a refund.

  14. Re: You'll have to ask the company that made the p by ArchieBunker · · Score: 0

    So BOSCH bought them from China. You think they machine them one at a time paying competitive wages in Germany? China melts down whatever is laying around and labels it steel.

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  15. I hope the market doesn't throw up again by BlueCoder · · Score: 1

    I personally think most investors are idiots. Most of Tesla's cars are required to be serviced in their shops. Their motivation isn't for "profit" but rather because it's a new platform and they are looking to spot problems like this. Your required to take your Tesla into the shop something like every six months. So this factory recall probably affects 200 owners that refuse to get their cars serviced for good or bad reasons.

    1. Re:I hope the market doesn't throw up again by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      And I have seen so many people claim EVs are almost service-free. Taking it into a specific service center whether they need service or not is the exact opposite of that.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  16. ...plenty of after market fuel injection systems. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nothing stopping you from retrofitting a car with one of those, and suddenly you're in full control of your car if it actually matters that much to you.

    Hell folks do that to older cars just to get the massive fuel econ and repairability benefits if nothing else. And if safety is a concern you can always get a proper roll cage added in while wiring in the new fuel injection system? :)

  17. Re: You'll have to ask the company that made the by c6gunner · · Score: 2

    So BOSCH bought them from China. You think they machine them one at a time paying competitive wages in Germany? China melts down whatever is laying around and labels it steel.

    You're obsessed. Before you go to sleep at night do you check for China under your bed?

  18. Re: You'll have to ask the company that made the by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, it is kinda under my bed, pretty far under though...

  19. Is there an autopilot in model S? by DrTJ · · Score: 2

    What happens if the bolts go when in autopilot mode?

    1. Re:Is there an autopilot in model S? by edtice1559 · · Score: 1

      In case the question wasn't rhetorical, I assume that auto-pilot would detect that it can't properly maneuver the vehicle and disengage.

  20. Re: You'll have to ask the company that made the by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Note the username and signature of the poster.

  21. So now /. is covering auto recalls? by DirkDaring · · Score: 1

    Ford Focus and Fusion got a recall about the clutch pressure plate, should I submit that story?

  22. Musk is the new Jobs, not Stark by drewsup · · Score: 1

    The Tesla is to electric cars what the iphone was to mobiles when it too launched. Its a game changer, everyone else has to play catch up now, but in ten years there will be viable competitors, probably for less money.
    Kudos to Musk, he damn near perfected an idea that a lot of people had a crack at, and all pretty well failed, miserably. That said, he's going to need to 6 Sigma the hell out of this product as its a whole new sub genre of automobile, and fair enough, he seems fairly proactive in his recalls. Too many people get hung up on the cult of Musk, and forget he's just a guy, with drive, ambition, and a plan. He will fail at some things, but he has managed to disrupt two entire industries, autos and LEO transport, thats no small thing...

    1. Re:Musk is the new Jobs, not Stark by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The big difference between Apple and Tesla, Apple was already successful and making money in the personal electronics market. Apple made money from the start on I-phone. They meet or beat goals regularly., Tesla has not made any money, they lose money on each car they build (when you include cost of capital), and they consistently miss meeting production and financial goals.

    2. Re:Musk is the new Jobs, not Stark by drewsup · · Score: 1

      yes, but this IS a new company, Apple was an established business already, had a long term goal, manufacturing contacts, and an engineering team, Musk bootstrapped a company from nothing and there are going to be issues with that, also he did pay back his DOE loan plus interest, more than a lot of startups have done!

  23. Man, it's going to be tough... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    ...to recall that Tesla car currently on its way to Mars.

    Finally, a good reason for the BFR!

  24. Re: You'll have to ask the company that made the p by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

    I can get bolts made out of soft steel, hard steel, zinc-plated galvanized steel, 440, high-chromium stainless steel, molybdenum-vanadium high-chromium stainless, and so forth.

    Different steels will flex more without deforming, or will hold more-rigid under strain. A flexible steel in a roll bar or even a frame will improve vehicle handling, whereas a high-grade hard steel might actually sheer under stress (outright break) instead of flexing like a spring. Molybdenum lowers the energy state in the lattice, so it's more-difficult to substitute oxides--even resisting electrolyte pressure which could cause normal high-chromium stainless to just rust.

    Your car has dozens of types of steel in it. If you have a high-end combustion engine, you probably even have one of the many grades of inconel--an extremely hard steel that keeps its anti-corrosion and work-hardening characteristics even up around 1850 degrees. If you put regular steels in the turbocharger turbine, they practically melt (Inconel sheds heat like crazy, too, so any blast of hot-then-cooler spots in the exhaust will keep it cooler instead of heating it up toward peak temperatures).

    A lot of good grades of steel will rust out if you park them within half a mile of the ocean.

  25. the better for jerking off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    with no power steering and no power brakes, you don't have a significant other, either

    those strong arm muscles from steering will help you to jerk off better

  26. Praying... by Duhavid · · Score: 1

    Yes, He does know what we want.
    Praying isnt just asking for things, it is supposed to be communication from us to God.

    --
    emt 377 emt 4
  27. Great, but now it is RCA Time! by Jzanu · · Score: 1

    Tesla needs to break down the actual root causes - including all management failures. This kind of defect doesn't just show up in a finished product without warning from someone on the line seeing shoddy practices due to overwork or other bad pressures, or some engineer doing backend checks finding structural flaws overlooked previously. How far up does the failure go? The NHTSA will surely find out.

  28. Apple needed to borrow in the beginning too by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    Computers are more complex but they also could leave out unfinished features or leave in lesser bugs by the shipping date. Assembly was easier than a car; all the hard components were made by others.

    Main difference-- building a large complex machine that costs 10x as much as a computer. Complex in engineering, manufacturing and in regulations. Infrastructure investment is considerably higher too. Also keep in mind they have their own more computer as part of the car and it's more sophisticated than Apple's computers were (and like Apple, they use off the shelf parts-- but unlike apple they probably didn't design their out circuit boards.... although they did that for the car's other electronics.)

    It takes longer to pay off the debts from any growth to meet demand. They simply can't hire factories to make what they need for many of the parts. For the batteries they are working with panasonic but nobody can output the volume required so they are making that product too.

  29. I bet it's galvantic corrosion by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    Somebody picked the wrong kind of bolt... a standard bolt of the wrong kind metal. I'm no engineer, but I know I'd forget about something like that while thinking about everything else... including mixed metal contacts.

  30. Look at the MATH; Tesla is going to tie with Ford by bussdriver · · Score: 2

    I forget details-- you look it up but the Tesla plan is a solid one which will put it on par with Ford in REAL numbers soon.

    Ford only makes about $1000 per car they sell. It's quite low, look it up. They make more on higher ones but it's mostly a profit by volume (and support fees.) Other profit goes to the car dealers. Ford makes about 5 million cars or so per year. So thats about 1 billion profit (on new cars, not all the tons of other stuff they are doing.)

    Tesla's plan is to make about 1 million cars per year. They make 5x the profit per car, part of that profit comes from NOT having to share profits with dealers etc. That means when they reach 1 million cars per year (which is not far away) they will have about equal the profits of Ford. Since they don't do all the other stuff Ford does, you can't compare with those... plus Ford doesn't do solar or power storage (yet.)

  31. Elon Musk = loser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SpaceX = technology provided by NASA
    PayPal = thieves who confiscate your money and freeze your account for no reason
    Tesla = meme that's about to be bankrupt

  32. Power Steering by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

    A defective power steering pump isn't a life-ender by any means, but something that I would be pretty pissed about on my $90K luxury car.

    --
    An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
  33. Hard to believe ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... that Musk is a product of Silicon Valley.

    I guess he represents the last of the old school.