Tesla is famous for many things: its sleek and technology-filled cars, its autonomous driving capabilities, its CEO Elon Musk, and the numerous issues it often experiences. Even today, we have talked about them, albeit in a positive light.
A Scottish couple is furious after Tesla left them stranded with a bill of £17,000 (approximately $20,693) to repair their vehicle’s battery, which apparently suffered water damage after driving in the rain, as reported by Edinburgh Live.
“Johnny Bacigalupo, a Tesla owner and resident of Edinburgh, told the media that he was stunned and speechless. ‘Honestly, I can’t believe this has happened. When I got the first call, I thought they would bill us £500 or £1,000. When they told me it’s over £17,000… it’s absolutely obscene. My heart sank, truly,’ he explained.”
The car wouldn’t start after dinner
Roadside assistance picked up the car to take it to the repair shop, Bacigalupo told the website. Later, a Tesla representative called him to say that the battery had been submerged in water and that the repair bill was not covered by the warranty.
Edinburgh Live does not specify the model of Tesla owned by the Scottish couple, but there have been previous reports of older Model S vehicles, in particular, experiencing serious issues after being driven in the rain.
In 2021, a Tesla owner in Hong Kong also had to pay a hefty bill for repairing the battery of his 2016 vehicle because the battery got wet.
The owner claimed that they had never driven through floods and had only driven in heavy rain with their car, which was still under warranty at that time.
Also in 2021, a Tesla owner in the United States received a hefty bill after their 2014 Model S stopped working. It turned out that water had entered the drive unit and damaged it.
A week earlier, the owner had driven in heavy rain, but not in flood conditions. Tesla refused to honor the vehicle warranty and cover the $8,000 repair cost.
Overall, the rain issue highlights a quality control problem at Tesla, which has been relatively low in reliability ratings when its vehicles are tested in real-world conditions. In other words, if it’s raining, don’t drive a Tesla, for your safety and your finances.
