Consumer Reports said Model S owners reported “an array of detailed and complicated maladies” with the drivetrain, power equipment, charging equipment and giant iPad-like center console. They also complained about body and sunroof squeaks, rattles and leaks.
TrueDelta’s analysis is based on owners reporting specific problems they have had fixed on their vehicles. But the survey population is much smaller; it has data from about 100 owners while Consumer Reports received survey responses from 1,400 owners.
J.D. Power, the automotive research firm, also publishes reliability data, but has not developed a big enough population of vehicles yet to issue a Tesla assessment, spokesman John Tews said.
Tesla’s stock fell for a second day after the Consumer Reports downgrade. It closed down $2.94, or 1.4%, at $210.09 on Wednesday after falling 7% on Tuesday
The negative publicity could hurt Model S sales, said Brian Johnson, an analyst with Barclays Research.
“Tesla has sold cars without any publicity, and has instead relied on 'word of mouth' recommendations. Issues with reliability may challenge the appeal,” Johnson wrote in a report to investors Wednesday.
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J.D. Power, the automotive research firm, also publishes reliability data, but has not developed a big enough population of vehicles yet to issue a Tesla assessment, spokesman John Tews said.