Quality
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It's every electric car owner's nightmare: the car indicates that remaining range has suddenly plummeted to zero, the battery pack stops providing current, and the car won't run. For some 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV drivers, that scenario has happened in real life. The problem has resulted in a program under which Chevy will replace the entire battery pack in a small number of Bolt EVs. According to a recall notice issued by Chevrolet on April 3, certain early-production cars "may have a condition where the calibration will not detect the difference in the state of charge between the cell groups...
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Some Tesla Model 3 cars haunted by "phantom touch" and "vampire draw" (updated)At this point, the variable build quality of early Tesla Model 3 electric cars has been well documented. One of the main issues is the "phantom touch" on the car's all-important central display. The phantom touch is what Green Car Reports reader Jeff Southern of Atlanta suffered in his car before...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla employees say Model 3 parts need substantial rework after production
Electric-car maker Tesla is known for troubled launches, at least for the four products it's offered since the first Roadster in 2008. But the launch of the Tesla Model 3, its lower-priced electric sedan, may be the most challenging yet—and it may be the Tesla with the highest expectations...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model 3 quality is terrible, but will it matter to buyers?
So we've finally had the chance to spend time with a 2018 Tesla Model 3, courtesy of a generous and devoted Green Car Reports reader. We'll have our first-drive report and a full review of the car within a day or two—but that's not what this article is about. The build quality of the early...
John Voelcker -
2017 Chevy Bolt EV battery may fail due to faulty cell; new pack needed for a few GM electric cars (updated)
General Motors has informed "a few hundred" owners of 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars that their cars could suffer from a problem with the lithium-ion battery pack that could cause it to fail without warning. The cars were among the very earliest Bolt EVs produced for public sale, so are...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Freakonomics: Why Fans Should Hope Early Drivetrain Data Was Correct
Our recent article on the reliability implications of a Plug-In America survey of early Tesla Model S owners was met with skepticism from the company's supporters, and support from its skeptics. But in a counter-intuitive Freakonomics-style twist, it's the firm's fans who should hope the results...
Matthew Klippenstein -
The Tesla Model S tops the Consumer Reports customer satisfaction rankings for the second year in a row.
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Tesla Model S Drive-Unit Replacements: How Big A Problem?
It was a car company's worst public-relations nightmare. Edmunds.com, the widely-read automotive website, bought a Tesla Model S for long-term testing in February 2013. After nine months and 11,000 miles, the car developed an ominous grinding noise under acceleration and deceleration. Under...
David Noland -
Tesla Model S Earns Top Score In The Industry For Total Quality
Owners of the Tesla Model S tend to be very satisfied with their cars. You might already know that; but so far, that's largely been anecdotal, based on reports in various ownership profiles, comments, and forums. Now all this owner 'love'—and the lack of problems—is starting to be...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla Model S: Glitches, Quirks, and Peccadilloes Roundup
To put it mildly, the Tesla Model S has been a resounding success. The New York Times has called the all-electric luxury sport sedan a game-changer, comparable to the Model T Ford. It's won virtually every 2012 "Car of the Year" honor, including the only unanimous Motor Trend award in the...
David Noland -
Fisker Emphasizes Its Focus On Product Quality
Fisker wants critics to know that it takes quality seriously, and that the automaker is making an effort to offer superior customer service.
Kurt Ernst -
Dead Fisker Karmas: One May Be A Fluke, But Is Two A Trend?
First off, just to be clear, the photo above is NOT a dead Fisker. It shows the 2012 Fisker Karma we road-tested three weeks ago parked at a Tesla Motors dealer in Los Angeles. But while our Fisker was running fine that day, Consumer Reports was not so lucky this week. The magazine bought a Fisker...
John Voelcker -
In 2011 a crack task force was sent to the United States by a Japanese manufacturer for a car that's making headlines. These men were promptly trained to be experts in their field. Today, wanted by thousands of owners, they survive as a rapid response unit. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire The N-Team. ...cue the music. We suspect that if you were to call out Nissan's new rapid-response task force to fix a problem with your new LEAF electric car their entrance probably wouldn't be anything like as dramatic as everyone's favourite...
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2010 Toyota Prius: Reviewing the Reviews
As we've noted before, our sister site TheCarConnection.com offers deep, comprehensive car reviews, with both our own impressions from driving the car (in this case, the all-new 2010 Toyota Prius) and summaries of comments from all the other reviews done. Completely redesigned for 2010, the third...
John Voelcker
