“Why I Regret Buying a Tesla: One Owner’s Troubling Experience with Excessive Fog and Other Problems”

(The online newspaper): – I will never have a Tesla again. It is tragic, says Erik Persson to Nettavisen.

In October 2020, Persson bought a brand new Tesla model X for around NOK 950,000.

The car worked well at first, but when winter came Erik experienced excessive fog on the windows. There were also problems with braking.

– It was dangerous to drive, says Persson about the car’s first winter on the roads.

Persson complained to Tesla. “It fogs in the whole car” writes Persson, among other things, in March 2021. At the same time, he mentions a number of other mistakes that the experienced motorist has noticed:

One of the “wing doors” had a fault and the sensor had to be replaced, there is excessive condensation in the rear lights, the glass on one of the “wing doors” needs to be adjusted and the wipers need to be replaced. The errors are fixed.

There are currently 107,829 Teslas in Norway, says Mikkel Friis of the Information Council for Road Traffic (OFV). Having problems with your Tesla? Contact the journalist here.

Why does Tesla make such idiotic cars?

– Lots of nonsense and problems

But Tesla could not find anything wrong with the air conditioner, and Persson was told that it must be user error.

– I’ve had a car for quite a few years, and many different cars. I think I understand how to use a heater. I have been complaining about this all along.

That same summer, Persson is back at the Tesla workshop twice. The fog continues to cause problems. In addition, the drive shaft vibrates.

“They are going on holiday soon and do not feel that it is safe to drive the car”, writes the service employee in the invoice.

Persson was actually going to Lofoten.

– It was a big problem. I only have one big car. We also have a KIA with a range of 12 miles. The Tesla is our main car, but there has been a lot of nonsense and problems.

The drive shaft is replaced. An error message from the operating system also appears. Erik asks for a loaner car.

Nettavisen has tried to get in touch with Tesla for a comment without success.

Several trips to the workshop

In the last three years, Persson has visited the Tesla workshops in Oslo, Drammen and Moss nine times in total. Nettavisen has seen the invoices.

The car has had problems with charging, had to change the SIM card and had a leak in the front window.

“Discovered today that the right door pillar and seat belt are soaking wet. So here I have a water leak. Can you set up an hour so I can check the water leak? And I have to have a loaner car,” writes Erik in a message to Tesla in November 2022.

The service employee writes in the invoice that the water leak was caused by a glass being misplaced. The problem is fixed, but creates more challenges.

In April 2023, Persson wrote a message to the service center again:

“There is damage to the roof and moldings that were destroyed after the last service when you took out the windscreen. The car is still suddenly fogging up inside. This must be something wrong. Reported several times in the last 2 years. Fault with heater? Saturday 2 weeks ago I couldn’t open the rear doors. Called assistance but they couldn’t help. The next day it was ok again, but the sensor should be checked.”

Cheaper cars lead to weaker results for Tesla

– I also reported the damage to the roof shortly after it had been repaired, but almost all the messages with pictures and attachments are no longer available to me in the app, says Persson.

The car still fogs to this day.

– It is completely hopeless. The car is kept in the garage during the winter. I can only use the car in the summer.

He reacts strongly to the customer service Tesla has met him with.

– The most frustrating thing is that you never get to talk to anyone. Everything goes through the application, and you alternate communicating in English and Norwegian.

The car, worth over NOK 900,000, has led to several troubled journeys. On a journey from Vinterbro to Oslo, he had to stop twice to air the car. A long trip to Elverum was almost impossible.

Now he is considering taking legal action.

– I have to try to arrange it in a completely different way with a lawyer or something like that. I need to get an expert opinion.