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Participate in online vehicle clubs, and you will quickly learn that folks just love to post up problems with their electric vehicles. Misery loves company, yada, yada, yada. The same is true of all types of vehicles. What makes the electric vehicle failure complaints interesting is that EV advocates have been saying for decades that simpler powertrains with fewer moving parts would mean fewer failures and less to maintain. So far, they’ve been dead wrong.
My Model Y Lower Control Arm Failed
Tesla vehicles are considered by most to be the very best of electric vehicle design. The Model Y is presently the top-selling BEV SUV in America and one of the top sellers globally. But Model Ys do fail. Just like all vehicles do. Owner J.J. posted this in one Tesla vehicle club online:
I was driving on the highway with my 2021 Model Y Tesla when what I believe the wheel bearing completely detached from the frame (please correct me if I’m wrong from the pictures). Tesla said this is not covered under the warranty. I ended up towing it somewhere else, with hopes it wouldn’t break me in half. Mechanic quoted me $1,750 for OEM Front right lower control arm, bolts, labor (removal, installation, and alignment check), and diagnostic test.
Fellow owner, A.C. commented, “This seems to be common with 2021s. I’ve seen this happen multiple times.” Owner C.K. said, “Mine was replaced under warranty 3 months after I got my 2021 Y.”
My Model Y AC Compressor Failed
Another failure struck Tesla owner O.B. He posted in a Tesla club, “A/C compressor failed. Tesla wants $3200. Any good shops around Boston?” Fellow owner M.K. also had that problem, and commented, “Tesla did mine in Florida for $1,600 2 summers ago. The replacement is not as strong as the original.”
Failed Tesla Driver Assistance Camera
Tesla Model Y owner, T.M., posted the following failure report in a Tesla club:
This morning my cameras, navigation, and everything dependent on them were out of order. A month later, after numerous attempts to reload software, Tesla Service concluded I had a failed driver assistance computer (is that the FSD box? I don’t have the subscription). At 100k km, that was mine to pay for at $2,200.
Fellow owner J.J. replied to the post, saying, “I am in the same boat. Same issue on my 2021 MYP. They are asking $2,298.” Owner G.H. added, “Same thing happened to me today in my 2023 Model Y.” All told, a half dozen other Tesla owners said they too saw this very same failure.
Wiring Harness Needs To Be Replaced
Hyundai Ioniq 5 owners are struggling with an ICCU issue (the thing that charges the battery fails). But it was a much more common problem that owner B.M. reported in a Hyundai group. He posted:
My wife and I leased a 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 on March 31. Within 3 months, the vehicle began displaying multiple warnings. Upon taking it to the dealer, we were informed that the wire harness was damaged, allegedly due to rodent activity, and that repairs would cost over $14,500. Research online revealed that many other Ioniq 5 owners have reported similar problems.
Group member I.R. offered his commentary, saying, “This happens with all EVs.” Owner J.W. posted, “Our ’24 had to have the floor harness replaced under warranty.”
My EV Just Died and Now I Think It’s a Lemon
Hyundai Ioniq 6 owner T.S. reports that his car “just dies.” He can’t seem to get the issue resolved. Owner C.F. can relate. He posted, “We had our 2023 for 2 weeks and it died too.”
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12-Volt Batteries Have No Moving Parts – But Fail Often
There are endless reports of 12-volt batteries dying and stranding EV owners. One of them is my colleague, N.W. Here is what she posted about her Jeep-brand EV:
My 12V died (for the second time) in my EV—this time in the garage at Logan. Only MassPort will tow out of the garage, and then transfer to your tow of choice outside. As an EV, you have to flatbed it, so it’s dollies to get it out of the garage. This is where our story literally goes sideways. Got home at 2:30 am.
Moldy AC Smell Ruins the Vibe
Not all failures are a big deal. Moldy-smelling AC can happen on any vehicle, EV, ICE, or hybrid. Tesla Model Y owner, M.B., reported the following:
Our 2023 MYLR has had some funky “BO” type smells coming out of the vent when the AC kicks on. Any thoughts on what it might be? Air filter? Something else? I have not changed any filters on it yet, and it is at 53k miles.
We included the funky B.O. problem since EV owners love to point out that their “only maintenance is a cabin air filter.” Speaking of filters, R.A. posted in the Chevy Bolt club, “Solved the mystery of the rattling in my dash on acceleration. Acorns on top of the cabin air filter.”
Owner Is Super Excited to be On His Third EV Battery
Batteries have no moving parts (sort of), and they absolutely always last the life of the EV. Except when they don’t. Model Y owner, M.Y. is now on his third. Here’s part of what he posted:
The first time they replaced it, I was only getting a 250-mile range. I think they only changed the bad cells instead of the whole battery. The second time, I politely asked if I could get a brand new one. They said they did. I charged it, and I was getting 300 miles. I was super excited.
What Do Third-Party Durability and Reliability Experts Find When They Poll EV Owners?
Our anecdotal examples are helpful in illustrating that EVs have reliability issues and fail in any number of ways, just like all vehicles do. But how do EV companies rank in owner polls compiled by experts? Shouldn’t EV-only companies like Tesla and Rivian top all the dependability charts if EV advocates’ theory that they are more reliable due to “simplicity of design?” Actually, EV-only companies do not score well at all by comparison to other vehicle manufacturers.
In J.D. Power’s 2025 Dependability study, Buick and Mazda are numbers two and three overall. Neither sells a single EV model. Lexus is number one, and they were number one long before they started dabbling in EVs. Tesla ranks below average. Consumer Reports ranks the Rivian R1T among the lowest of all vehicles for reliability, with a score of just 20/100. All EV trucks rank very low for reliability. Volkswagen’s 2025 ID4 scores just 29/100. By contrast, the quite complicated Toyota Prius earned a 96/100 score in 2022. One of the highest scores ever for Consumer Reports. As a plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle with a gas engine, one would imagine the Prius Prime would have many more problems since it has so many complex bits. Nope. Rock solid reliability. Maybe brand matters most?
We avoided the premature EV tire wear angle in this story because we’ve covered it in the past. Tires are the most costly and most frequently serviced aspect of owning any car, and with Tesla’s popular EVs, the rotation schedule is 6,250 miles or sooner. Feel free to expand the discussion and comment on tires in the comments section if you wish.
John Goreham is the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John’s by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools.
Tesla Peabody Mass. service center image by John Goreham. Chart courtesy of J.D. Power. Tesla tire rotation schedule courtesy of Tesla, Inc.’s Model 3 owner’s manual.
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Source: torquenews.com
