Tesla was arguably the first electric car company to gain widespread notice in the United States, and most Americans probably know about the company and what it does.
But as time goes on, some customers are learning the hard way that a brand-new Tesla vehicle may not meet the standards they expect.
In a Twitter post on Tuesday, one self-identified Tesla user shared a problem encountered with the car’s steering yoke — the Tesla version of the steering wheel — after driving it for just 12,000 miles.
“[O]nly 12,000 miles on my Plaid Model S and this is already happening?” the driver wrote. The tweet included a picture of the material on the yoke disintegrating.
only 12,000 miles on my Plaid Model S and this is already happening? @Tesla @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/mlz2tdZKdu
— jf.okay (@therealjfokay) August 23, 2022
Just a mile later, the customer said the disintegration had gotten worse.
1 mile down the road and it’s already gotten worse. pic.twitter.com/FnXPSDUoZC
— jf.okay (@therealjfokay) August 23, 2022
By the next day, the driver showed a full chunk of the material on the upper left-hand side of the yoke was missing.
??? not even a day later pic.twitter.com/jVtXRk9doM
— jf.okay (@therealjfokay) August 24, 2022
Tesla certainly has a cult following, and some users were quick to blame the driver for the disintegrating yoke.
“You must be squeezing too hard,” one user commented.
“Slow down and you won’t have this issue.”
You must be squeezing too hard. Slow down and you won’t have this issue. ?
— kobiyashi.eth ???? (@kobiyashi_eth) August 23, 2022
“Curious have you ever used any hand sanitizer?” another user wrote, apparently implying this would lead to disintegration.
Curious have you ever used any hand sanitizer?
— Taylor (@TaylorHoffmann2) August 23, 2022
Still, some more level-headed Twitter users came to the driver’s defense.
“Loving how many replies imply that it’s somehow your fault…and that you may be the only Tesla owner to use hand sanitizer,” one user wrote.
Loving how many replies imply that it’s somehow your fault…and that you may be the only Tesla owner to use hand sanitizer.
— Mark Duvall (@markduvall) August 23, 2022
Another account also shared pictures of a Tesla steering yoke disintegrating after what it said was less than 20,000 miles.
Yeah ? pic.twitter.com/jK0VPgTMuV
— The Kilowatts ?⚡️ (@klwtts) July 30, 2022
According to car value website Edmunds, a new 2022 Tesla Model S costs between $104,990 – $135,990.
For that price, drivers are right to expect high-quality materials.
The steering yoke on a car that costs six figures should last well over 30,000 miles, no matter how hard the driver grips it or how much hand sanitizer he puts on his hands.
Would you consider purchasing a Tesla after this?
If Tesla wants to hold a good reputation, the company must start giving customers what they pay for.
Being well known is usually a great thing for a business. But it’s only a great thing if the company is known for delivering consistent quality that consumers can count on — at the price they’re shelling out for the product.
