Consumer Reports: Tesla ranks last in 2021 car reliability report

The electric car market is full of waves. First, the market went crazy for Tesla's market value of over 100 billion, and then Musk's selling of Tesla instantly brought the company's historical high on November 4 down by 21.3%, with its market value falling below 1 trillion US dollars. Then, Rivian, the "follower wave of Tesla" in electric pickup trucks, had a blockbuster IPO, and its market value surpassed Ford, GM and Volkswagen successively, becoming the world's third largest automaker. However, it encountered investors' profit-taking, and its stock price plummeted for two consecutive days, giving up its previous continuous gains.

Such a turbulent tide is dizzying. It is time for a "stabilizing force" to appear.

On Thursday, November 18, Eastern Time, the 2021 Auto Reliability Report of the U.S. Consumer Reports was released. As an authoritative list that includes traditional fuel vehicles and new energy electric vehicles, the proportion of electric vehicle models in this list has increased. Among them, Lexus was rated as the most reliable automaker, while Tesla and Lincoln ranked at the bottom.

Consumer Reports is an American consumer product review magazine founded by the non-profit organization Consumer Union (CU) in 1936. It evaluates and compares consumer products and services based on reports and results from its internal testing laboratories and survey research centers. As a non-profit organization, it has no shareholders and does not accept advertising, so it has a strong authority in the minds of American consumers.

It is reported that Consumer Reports focuses on the problems that have occurred in these cars in the past 12 months and uses this data to predict the reliability of upcoming models from major automakers. It surveyed more than 300,000 owners of vehicles from 2000 to 2021 and used this data to make predictions for 269 different 2022 models. The report covers 28 automakers and 144 models with an established history.

The proportion of electric vehicles has increased, and hybrid vehicles are the most reliable overall

It is worth noting that the proportion of electric vehicles in this report has jumped, but their reliability ratings vary greatly. Relatively speaking, hybrid electric vehicles are one of the most reliable cars overall, while high-end electric SUVs are one of the least reliable vehicles in the survey overall.

Consumer Reports rated 11 all-electric models from eight different brands, including five all-electric SUVs, and found that the Tesla Model X and Audi E-tron ranked last in reliability in this segment, while the Kia Niro EV ranked "well above average" in reliability. The Nissan Leaf and the newer Ford Mustang Mach-E received "above average" reliability scores.

Jake Fisher, senior director of vehicle testing, said the entire market is moving towards an all-electric fleet, and consumers are very interested in knowing the reliability of electric vehicles.

All-electric vehicles could be just as reliable as traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, or even more reliable, the key is how they get there.

Meanwhile, Fisher said the electric drive system was not the problem, instead blaming unnecessary high-tech additions to electric vehicle production.

There is a tendency to add a lot of unnecessary technology to electric vehicles.

Tesla ranks last in reliability, with 5 recalls in 5 months

It is not surprising that Tesla ranked last, after all, on the same day, Tesla recalled 7,600 vehicles due to potential airbag problems.

The recall is because the driver's air bag cushion could tear during deployment, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Reuters.

Tesla Motors (Beijing) has filed a recall plan with the State Administration for Market Regulation. Effective immediately, a total of 91 imported Model 3 vehicles with production dates between February 2, 2019 and October 20, 2019 will be recalled. Tesla said that during the manufacturing process of some vehicles within the scope of this recall, the transverse link fixing bolts on the front subframe assembly may not have been tightened to the standard torque. Long-term use may cause the bolts to loosen or fall out, which may eventually cause the front suspension transverse link to fall out of the subframe, affecting vehicle handling, increasing the risk of accidents, and posing safety hazards.

Going back further, last month, Tesla also recalled 2,800 vehicles due to suspension issues. The suspension recall affects some Model Y vehicles manufactured in 2020 and 2021, as well as some Model 3 vehicles manufactured between 2019 and 2021.

The recalls follow two others in June: one for 8,000 vehicles with defective seat belts and another for loose bolts that could affect tire pressure.

Previously, the US National Transportation Safety Board said it was "deeply concerned" about Tesla's failure to respond to its safety recommendations. However, with five recalls in five months, it is unclear whether "deep concern" is enough to effectively solve its safety problems.