2021 Tesla Model S Owner Says Quality Issues Not Okay On $100K Car

YouTube vlogger MrExitStrategy complains about paint defects and scratches, interior rattling noise and squeaks, and more.

2021 Tesla Model S Owner Complains About Quality Issues

Dan Mihalascu

By: Dan Mihalascu

Aug 18, 2021 at 11:02am ET

Add InsideEVs as a preferred source in Google

Comment

There has been a lot of talk about the build quality of Tesla vehicles over the years, some of it not that flattering for the EV manufacturer.

Mind you, Tesla’s build quality has greatly improved since the early days, but it’s still not on par with similarly priced vehicles from legacy automakers. With the release of the revamped Model S and Model X, Tesla fans had great expectations about the fit and finish, but it appears that there’s still room for improvement in that department.

At least that’s the experience one owner had after taking delivery of his 2021 Model S Long Range. Vlogger MrExitStrategy describes the build quality of his car as “definitely far from perfect.”

He has found a few quality issues with his Model S that are not easy to justify on a car that cost 100 grand. Among those, he mentions stuff like paintwork defects and scratches, doors that creak during opening/closing, interior rattling noise and squeaks from loose trim pieces, and wrinkled door rubber gaskets.

2021 Tesla Model S wrinkled door rubber seal

More minor problems include small residue stains on the leatherette covering the dash, a whistling sound produced by the air conditioning system when air is blown at high speeds, the driver’s side mirror that shakes during driving, and some other things that you’ll see in the video.

Granted, none of these are major issues, and Tesla’s quality control could have fixed most of them before delivery. Now, the owner says that he absolutely loves the car and would order one again even knowing it will come with these slightly annoying issues.

What do you think?

View

Comments

He also points out that the Model Y he took delivery of a month and a half ago has much better quality than this refreshed Model S, so maybe they are typical of a particular batch of Model S EVs. Obviously, one should not rule out the possibility of this being an isolated case.

It's worth noting that this criticism does not come from a Tesla hater; as the initial video with the car (see below) filmed shortly after taking delivery shows, he clearly loves the car. Anyway, this owner says he’s notified Tesla of these quality issues and will report back after the automaker resolves them.