The Initial Quality Study, now in its 34th year, measures vehicle quality during the first 90 days of ownership, and found that Teslas suffered 250 problems for every 100 vehicles reported by buyers. That’s staggeringly higher than the industry average of 166 problems, according to JD Power.
It was the first time Tesla had profiled for the poll. Even with the poor rating, JD Power notes that it is not an official rating because the company does not meet all of the criteria to be measured.
“Unlike other manufacturers, Tesla does not grant us permission to survey their owners in the 15 states where it is required,” Doug Betts, president of JD Power’s automotive division, said in a statement Wednesday. He added that the company was able to collect a “large enough sample of surveys” from homeowners in 35 states and used that information sor its ranking.
Dodge and Kia vehicles scored positive with the fewest problems, just 136 problems per 100 vehicles. At the bottom of the list, but still significantly above Tesla, were Volvo (210 issues), Audi (225), and Land Rover (228).
The complaint says the problem happened to 127 different cars on the three Tesla models currently for sale: the Model S, Model X and Model 3. The unintentional acceleration problem caused 110 accidents and 52 people were injured as a result, according to the complaint.
– CNN Business’s Chris Isidore contributed to this report.
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