How Tesla’s build quality has changed over the past decade
Tesla is the most successful electric car manufacturer in the world, with the brand constantly hitting the top of the sales charts every month by a massive margin. Tesla manages to meet this insatiable demand via its progressive and advanced manufacturing process, which takes place at its Texas, Shanghai, and German gigafactories. Tesla is a relatively young brand that only entered the mass market about 10 years ago and evolved into a volume seller shortly after that. This is one of the fastest progressions a brand has experienced, primarily thanks to expansive investments made in its operations. Some might argue that this resulted in the brand rushing its products onto the market, which led to inferior perceived and overall build quality.
Early Tesla models are renowned for struggling with bad build quality, including bad panel fitment, annoying software glitches, and rapidly deteriorating interior and exterior trimmings. Despite this, the brand has maintained a very strong customer base as it has been the only one to offer a good balance of affordability, efficiency, and performance in the electric car segment. While they still have their quirks and issues, newer Tesla products enjoy substantially better build quality thanks to the brand’s constant research and improvement strategy. Company founder and CEO Elon Musk has informed the public that Tesla constantly improves its products, so the cars it makes today will reflect some refinements to those produced just six months ago.
Tesla’s First Quality Issues
Tesla’s first mass-produced model was the 2013 Model S , which was widely criticized for suffering from poor perceived quality levels. Consumer Reports awarded the inaugural model year an 18/100 reliability rating and a 3/5 owner satisfaction score. An impressive 85/100 driving experience score somewhat made up for this. As far as reliability is concerned, the first Model S didn’t fare very well. The NHTSA slapped it with a whopping 11 recalls related to bad interior trimmings, software glitches, and faults with the car’s safety equipment. Interestingly, the 2013 model year enjoys generally favorable consumer reviews, with many praising its driving enjoyment and reliability. There are some that complain about how it struggles with constant breakdowns, but these appear to be rare instances.
If we look back to the brand’s origins with the first-generation Roadster, the brand’s quality control reputation becomes a bit interesting. This product is based on the now-defunct Lotus Elise chassis , meaning the brand didn’t have full control of the overall quality levels. This was also somewhat of an experimental road-legal electric sports car, of which the brand only produced around 2,400 units over five years. Being a niche model, there aren’t extensive reliability ratings available for us to reference. However, in a 2016 interview with Fortune, Musk does admit that the Roadster’s production run could have gone smoother and clarified that a bulk of its components were outsourced. This is a polar contrast to the brand’s in-house-only development and production strategy.
The State Of Tesla’s Quality When The Model X Released
By the time the Tesla Model X arrived in 2016 , the brand had ironed out a couple of production quirks and issues. However, Consumer Reports first put this premium SUV to the test in 2018, and it scored a dismal 5/100 for overall reliability with a 3/5 owner satisfaction rating. This particular model year suffered from nine recalls, most of which related to self-driving software.
The NHTSA subjected the inaugural 2016 model to 12 recalls for missing primer, poorly fastened seats, and other safety-related concerns. User reviews also show that the Tesla Model X reflected a dip in quality for the brand, with it garnering much more criticism for quality compared to the Model S.
Tesla’s Early Quality Issues
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- Tesla’s early models, particularly the Model S and Model X, experienced issues with inconsistent panel gaps, leading to noticeable variations in the fit and finish of the vehicles.
- Owners reported problems with paint quality, including thin or uneven coatings, which led to premature chipping and scratches.
- The interiors of early Teslas sometimes showed signs of wear quickly, with materials like leather and trim deteriorating faster than expected.
- Electrical systems, including touchscreen interfaces and door handles, frequently malfunctioned, causing frustration among early adopters.
- Tesla also faced criticism for its manufacturing processes, which initially led to delays and a higher-than-average number of defects in the first batches of cars.
- Despite these issues, Tesla’s early adopters often accepted the flaws due to the brand’s innovation and the promise of software updates to address some of the problems.
For reference, the Model S of the same model year improved its Consumer Reports reliability score to 39/100, which is still not great but much better than the 2014 edition. However, it was subject to 10 recalls that aligned with the Model X’s manufacturer-related faults. Considering this was its first venture into the practical family car segment, with a very bold $81,200 starting price, this was not the best moment for the American EV brand.
Regardless, demand continued to soar as prospective EV owners were happy to sacrifice quality and reliability in favor of futuristic technologies and gasoline-free driving. Thankfully, the brand took advantage of this experience to improve its build quality with subsequent products.
How The Model 3 And Model Y Shaped Tesla’s Quality Assurance
The Tesla Model 3 was a big deal when it arrived on the market in 2017. Consumer Reports issued this with a 50/100 reliability rating and 5/5 owner satisfaction grade, making it the brand’s most accomplished launch to date. Unfortunately, this was hit with many more recalls compared to the Model S and X, with the NHTSA issuing 17 in total for its inaugural year.
Common faults include safety and entertainment software flaws, problems with the suspension components, and drive unit complications. As for consumer reviews, the Model 3 definitely has a better reputation compared to its larger siblings, with owners having a generally favorable opinion on its overall quality.
TheTesla Model Y is the brand’s most successful model , as it takes all the components from the Model 3 and adapts them into a more practical crossover configuration. This example arrived in 2020 and scored a more disappointing 36/100 for reliability from Consumer Reports, together with a 4/5 owner satisfaction score. This is still a slightly better launch than the brand’s first products, but it received the most recalls for the first year of sales compared to the other three options by a long shot. The NHTSA handed the mid-size electric crossover a whopping 21 recalls covering similar issues as the Model 3 but to a greater extent. Regardless, the Model Y continued to rise to the top of the electric car sales charts and remains the undisputed champion today.
The State Of Tesla’s Reliability Today
Tesla still gets a bit of criticism for quality and reliability issues, with the all-new Cybertruck currently being front and center for several reasons. As for the rest of the range, it looks like the brand has found its footing, which gives us confidence about the Cybertruck’s future refinements and updates. Interestingly, the 2024 Tesla Model S suffers from a 36/100 predicted reliability rating and the Model X a dismal 27/100 score. The Model 3 sits with a 47/100 predicted reliability score, while the Model Y makes do with a 41/100 rating. These aren’t amazing results, but all four derivatives suffer from far fewer recalls, which highlights how overall quality control is improving at Tesla’s production facilities.
Consumer Reports Reliability Ratings
| Model | Reliability Score |
| Model Y | 27/100 |
| Model 3 | 36/100 |
| Model X | 41/100 |
| Model S | 47/100 |
| Cybertruck | TBC |
Owner reviews also reflect that 2023 and 2024 model-year Teslas benefit from substantially better quality levels compared to those from five to 10 years ago, but there are reports from other owners regarding quality inconsistencies. When it comes to mass production models that achieve the same success as the Model 3 and Y, your chances of encountering problems will always be higher, regardless of how solid the manufacturer’s reputation is. Thankfully, a lot of the problems you encounter are easily and conveniently resolved via timely over-the-air updates.
The Future Of Tesla’s Quality Control Journey
Tesla still has a means to go until it achieves the same reputation of reliability and build quality as trusted brands that have been operating for many decades. Having said that, it has already surpassed some companies that have consistently operated with a bad reliability reputation. As we’ve already mentioned, Tesla continues to apply updates to its products and production facilities so that it can progressively improve the overall ownership experience and long-term quality.
The Model 3’s Highland update is its most impressive showcase of build quality improvement, and we’re sure to see some of these applied to the upcoming Juniper facelift for the Model Y. Tesla is also getting ready to add the Roadster and more affordable Model 2 derivatives to its roster, both of which need to surpass quality expectations to succeed.