Man Claims To Have Inherited Lengthy List of Issues With New Tesla That Cost Nearly $100K

A man who said he spent nearly $100,000 on a new 2022 Tesla Model S showed a number of different issues he found with his car in a TikTok video viewed nearly six million times.

"How will the Tesla fanboys defend this one?" the caption reads on the video, which was posted to Miles Smith's TikTok account, @patekmiles.

Smith walks around the car, pointing out the different problems he spotted since the car was delivered, including leftover exterior plastic, a dirty exterior and curbed wheels, which can result from a car's wheel or hubcap hitting a curb.

"The driver window protrudes out," he said. "You could stick a finger behind this and move it."

Smith pointed out that the other windows did not have the same problem.

Showing another part of the car, Smith showed a spot on the vehicle where the paint was gone. He explained the hood hit the fender, which caused the paint to come off.

Smith told Newsweek he noticed several issues immediately upon delivery, like scratches and condensation in one of the taillights.

"Tesla left a service order in my center console with already known issues that needed to be fixed and told me to report the other issues via app within three days of delivery," he said. "I noticed my other problems like missing paint and window misalignment when I got home after delivery."

Reuters reported that Tesla recalled more than 475,000 of its Model 3 and Model S electric cars due to issues with the rearview camera and trunk. The U.S. road safety regulator said these problems may lead to an increased risk of crashing. The piece stated that the model years that were affected by the recall range from 2014 to 2021.

"Seriously, before TikTok I thought Tesla was a quality buy," one TikTok user commented.

"I built Toyotas for many years," another commenter claimed. "This would not leave the assembly line until it's ALL fixed."

Some questioned why Smith accepted the car in that condition.

In a subsequent video, he explained he bought the car in May of 2021 and took delivery in December.

"When I was there with the vehicle, the Tesla employees told me that if I did not accept delivery, they would cancel my order and I would have to put in a new order with a seven to nine-month waitlist from the end of December," he said.

Smith then said his biggest issue was the price. He showed his order sheet, where it broke down how much he paid for his vehicle, which was roughly $84,000. Had he not accepted the delivery, he would have had to re-order the car, which cost more than $99,000, and waiting for a car he was unsure would have the same defects.

Smith has since sold the car and said he did not have to get the issues fixed. He said the new purchaser, a dealer, looked at the car for several hours.

He told Newsweek he owned a Tesla Model 3 Performance and a Tesla Model S Performance in the past. Though his Model S worked well, he said he had issues with his Model 3.

Though Smith ordered another Model 3 Performance, he said he is hesitant to purchase it.

"I'd be more open to buying another Tesla once Tesla improves the customer experience post-delivery," he said. "I will not be purchasing a vehicle that can take months to fix due to manufacturing errors."

Smith is not the only Tesla owner to have experienced issues with the car.

Newsweek previously reported that a Finnish man decided to blow up his damaged car when faced with a repair that would cost €20,000, or just under US $23,000.

Newsweek reached out to Tesla for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.