Tesla's build quality has been questioned, with an owner claiming the company sold new Model 3 vehicles in Germany with damaged jacking points. The issue has led to a lawsuit, with the owner seeking a replacement vehicle.
The German engineer reportedly purchased a Tesla Model 3 Long Range in February 2021. But a few months later, when the owner arranged to change the winter tires, significant damage was spotted in the brand new car, with three of the jacking points showing serious fractures.
Upon investigation, the owner reportedly found that other customers faced the same issue, which was allegedly caused by a robot at Tesla's Fremont factory.
Christoph Lindner, a lawyer engaged by the Tesla owner, says that the EV manufacturer had later admitted in writing that the production process had been amended in order to avoid similar defects in future.
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But according to reports, initially, Tesla claimed the issues were cosmetic only and simply painted over the damaged parts. When the owner protested, the automaker reportedly claimed that the damage was not covered by a warranty. However, Tesla has a 4-year, 80,000 km warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship, and the vehicle is well within those limits. Tesla also reportedly offered a battery replacement as a solution, to be paid for out of the owner's own pocket.
The Tesla owner engaged Lindner as a lawyer in September 2021, who requested an independent inspection of the vehicle. A court-assigned vehicle expert inspected the car in April 2022 and found that the car would immediately fail its regular inspection as required by German road law.
"Due to the damage found on the lifting profile of the battery housing, a test sticker cannot be assigned to the vehicle presented here as part of the main inspection according to §29 StVZO," the expert said in German-language documents.
To resolve the manner, the owner wants a replacement Model 3 to be issued by Tesla, to be delivered from Tesla's China plant. The request specifies that the car cannot be manufactured at Tesla's Fremont plant in the US and that the vehicle must be flawless on delivery.