Tesla tops list in Consumer Reports reliability survey

DETROIT (Reuters) – Tesla Inc's (TSLA.OThe Model S premium sedan lost the "recommended" rating and the electric car maker lost six spots to last place in Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey.

All domestic automakers have landed in the bottom half of the magazine's new car reliability ranking, which includes data collected for more than 500,000 vehicles. The survey, which ranked 29 brands in the US market, was released Wednesday.

"These are the complexities that really drove Tesla," said Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for the magazine. "The majority of the problems we're seeing with Tesla are really mechanical issues."

The Model S looks similar to the model launched six years ago, but Tesla has made significant mechanical and software changes in recent years, including making the air suspension and AWD standard, he said. . This can affect reliability as complexity increases.

Tesla said it simplified and simplified the configurations of the Model S, without making them more complex. He also said the automaker had already addressed the issues raised by homeowners in the Consumer Reports survey, particularly regarding live software updates.

"Our cars are not only the safest and most efficient vehicles available today, but we take our customers' comments very seriously and implement improvements quickly," the company said in a statement.

Tesla explained that this is why the Model S has been at the forefront of Consumer Reports' Consumer Satisfaction Survey every year since 2013, when the manufacturer was first integrated.

Toyota Motor Corp's (7203.TThe Lexus and Toyota brands took the top two places in the survey, as they did for six consecutive years. The results of the survey are available on CR.org/reliability.

The magazine's annual survey of new car reliability predicts which cars will give homeowners fewer or more problems than their competitors, according to the data collected. His dashboard is influential with consumers and industry leaders.

Tesla's ranking slipped to 27th place, ahead of the only General Motors ranking (GM.N) Cadillac and Volvo brand.

The Model S, which starts at $ 74,500, went from "Above Average" to "Below Average" last year, and its overall score denied Consumer Reports' "Recommended" tag. Homeowners have reported suspension issues and other issues, including issues related to the extension of the door handle, the magazine said.

Tesla's Model X SUV has remained "a lot worse than average," with lingering problems, such as falcon wing doors and the central display screen. The Model 3 sedan, considered essential to Tesla's profitability, debuted with "Medium" reliability.

In May, Consumer Reports had recommended Model 3 after its latest tests had shown that a software update was improving the car's braking. He maintained this note.

Tesla was to release its third quarter results after market close on Wednesday.

Other national brands include: Ford Motor Co's (F.N) Ford and Lincoln marks at numbers 18 and 20; GM, Buick, Chevrolet and GMC brands at 19, 23 and 25; and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles "(FCHA.MI) Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler and Ram at numbers 21, 22, 24 and 26, respectively.

The Japanese company Mazda Motor Corp. (7261.T), which recorded the largest gain, of nine places; Subaru (7270.T) and Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) Brand Kia.