Some Tesla owners have expressed their frustration with battery replacement costs. Mario Zelaya is a Tesla owner who posted a video on TikTok saying that his Tesla Model S is a “piece of trash”. Indicating the high battery replacement costs. His vehicle battery died and the replacement costs are around $26,000.
The Model S was purchased by Zelaya in 2013. According to TikToker, the models purchased in 2013 and 2014 have issues with fluid in the air conditioning system leaking into the battery. He said, “I got Transport Canada involved, and they actually did an investigation on the car. Not only did they do an investigation on this car, but they’re also gonna be doing one that Tesla doesn’t realize is coming up.”
According to Fox Business, Zelaya contacted another Tesla owner who said that they have the same issue. According to the other Tesla owner, their Uber credits were canceled while the vehicle was being serviced. He said, “Tesla’s trying to sweep it under the rug. They won’t give them any explanation of why their battery died.”
No battery checking
Also, he claimed that when Tesla owners get their vehicles serviced, the battery is not checked, saying service centers have no incentive to do so. Zelaya said he is a year outside his warranty period and wants to sell the car, but isn’t able to do so because his ownership papers are inside the locked car. He instead spent $30 on new papers, he claimed.
Zelaya said, “I’ll never buy another Tesla again. That’s the long way of me saying stay the [expletive] away from Teslas. They’re brutal cars, brutal manufacturing, and even worse, they’re a 10-year-old company.” In another video posted this week, Zelaya said he sold the car and that someone was going to pick it up from his driveway. The purported buyer is then seen taking the car apart from the front bumper and then charging it. He said, “That’s going to be the end of my Tesla journey. It’s out of my life. Keep it out of yours,”
Some Tesla owners have voiced concerns about the vehicle in recent months. A group of owners in Norway went on a hunger strike in August in an effort to get CEO Elon Musk’s attention about a long series of problems they claim to have with their vehicles. While battery costs continue to increase the affordability of electric vehicles is also being questioned. According to various calculations, it is said that the costs reduce over years. However, if the battery dies and high battery replacement costs are required. Electric vehicles could be much costlier.
