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The used car market has always been a minefield of hidden problems, undisclosed accidents, and creative interpretations of vehicle condition. But when you’re buying from the manufacturer themselves, you expect a certain level of quality control and honesty about what you’re purchasing. The assumption is that a company selling their own used vehicles has both the expertise to properly inspect them and the reputation to protect by being transparent about any issues. When that trust breaks down, the results can be more than just financially devastating, they can be genuinely dangerous to your health.
The ongoing saga of brosifmcjoseph’s Tesla Model S Plaid purchase represents everything that can go wrong when manufacturer quality control fails and corporate customer service prioritizes damage control over customer safety. His Reddit post chronicles a situation that escalated from inconvenience to health hazard to legal nightmare:
So, following my recent post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaSupport/s/bT6jfz7Kwx
TLDR from that post: Tesla sold me a used plaid (not listed as a repaired vehicle) that had water intrusion into the main cabin. This is after they postponed my delivery day by one day because they had found water in the car but assured me the issue had been resolved.
I have updates to share.
The service center that I took it to found that the water intrusion was due to a clogged AC drainage pipe. They also found that the car had been sold to me FROM TESLA with water in the high voltage battery. They fixed the AC, replaced the interior carpeting, and the high voltage batter pack under warranty. The car was in the shop for 18 days, they did supply me a loaner during that time.
They told me there was nothing they could do about my mold concern and even said that they reached out to mold remediation companies and said there are no companies that offer mold testing on cars which I find hard to believe.
The manager at the location also told me that one of their techs got sick and had to call out from work due to working in my car. So the mold concern was proven true.
In order to procure definitive evidence, I conducted an agar dish mold test in the car. The dish had 10+ colonies of mold propagating after leaving the dish in the car for one hour with the AC off, so everything you see on the dish is purely from aerosol mold particulates in the cabin.
A manager at another tesla location who saw my post was kind enough to reach out and helped me initiate a buyback.
Tesla denied the buyback two days ago. Said manager is now reinitiating a buyback with signoff from his regional manager.
I’m at a loss for words that this is how Tesla would handle a situation like this. I was sick for two and half weeks due to the mold exposure that happened before I knew what was going on with the car.
Idk what I’m gonna do if they deny this second buyback request. I am extremely upset at how Tesla has dealt with this.
I now have ~60k tied up in a car which I can’t use due to the interior being a mold-ridden death trap.
The sequence of events that brosifmcjoseph describes reveals multiple failures in Tesla’s used vehicle inspection and sales process. The fact that Tesla postponed his delivery by one day after discovering water in the car, then assured him the issue was resolved, suggests they knew about the water intrusion problem but failed to properly address it. Selling a vehicle with water contamination in both the cabin and the high-voltage battery pack represents a serious safety oversight that goes beyond typical used car disclosure issues. Water intrusion in electric vehicle battery systems can create fire hazards and electrical failures that pose genuine safety risks.
The discovery of mold contamination severe enough to make a Tesla technician sick demonstrates how water damage can create health hazards that persist long after the initial moisture problem is addressed. Mold spores become airborne and can cause respiratory problems, allergic reactions, and other health issues, particularly for people with compromised immune systems or existing respiratory conditions. The fact that brosifmcjoseph was sick for two and a half weeks before understanding the cause shows how mold exposure can create serious health consequences that extend far beyond the vehicle itself.
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The service center’s claim that “there are no companies that offer mold testing on cars” reveals either ignorance or deliberate misdirection about available remediation services. Mold testing and remediation services exist for all types of enclosed spaces, including vehicles, and the fact that brosifmcjoseph was able to conduct his own agar dish test proves that vehicle mold testing is both possible and necessary. His test results, showing “10+ colonies of mold propagating after leaving the dish in the car for one hour,” provide scientific evidence of dangerous contamination levels that make the vehicle unsafe for human occupancy.
The 18-day repair period that included AC system repair, carpet replacement, and high-voltage battery pack replacement demonstrates the extent of the water damage that Tesla initially claimed to have resolved. These repairs represent thousands of dollars in parts and labor, suggesting that the water intrusion was far more serious than a simple drainage issue. The fact that Tesla provided a loaner vehicle during this extended repair period shows they recognized the severity of the problem, yet they still refused to acknowledge the mold contamination that resulted from their initial failure to properly address the water damage.
eser5’s advice to “escalate legally if it gets declined again” reflects the reality that some automotive disputes can only be resolved through legal action. When manufacturers refuse to take responsibility for selling contaminated vehicles that pose health risks, legal intervention becomes necessary to protect consumer rights and public safety. brosifmcjoseph’s response that he’s “been having consultations with lawyers all this week” shows that he’s already pursuing this option, which is appropriate given the health hazards and financial losses involved.
Mold Contamination In Vehicles
- Mold contamination in vehicles can cause serious respiratory problems, allergic reactions, and systemic health issues that extend far beyond the automotive purchase, requiring medical treatment and creating ongoing health risks.
- Despite service center claims, mold testing and remediation services exist for vehicles, and simple agar dish tests can provide scientific evidence of contamination levels that make vehicles unsafe for human occupancy.
- Vehicle water intrusion can create mold problems that persist long after moisture issues are addressed, requiring complete interior replacement rather than simple cleaning to eliminate health hazards.
- Manufacturers may deny responsibility for selling contaminated vehicles until faced with legal action and regulatory complaints, making attorney consultation essential for protecting consumer rights in contamination cases.
Khansultant’s suggestion to contact “[email protected]” and the state Attorney General demonstrates how escalating complaints beyond local service centers can sometimes produce results when standard customer service channels fail. The involvement of state attorneys general in automotive disputes often motivates manufacturers to resolve problems they might otherwise ignore, particularly when health and safety issues are involved. The fact that Tesla “started paying attention” after receiving official complaints suggests that the company responds more effectively to legal pressure than customer service requests.
The broader pattern that brosifmcjoseph’s experience represents extends beyond individual bad luck to systemic issues with Tesla’s used vehicle inspection and quality control processes. The combination of undisclosed water damage, mold contamination, and corporate denial suggests that Tesla’s used car operations may not have adequate procedures for identifying and disclosing serious vehicle problems. This situation is particularly concerning given Tesla’s direct-to-consumer sales model, which eliminates the independent dealer oversight that traditionally provides some consumer protection in used car transactions. The problems aren’t isolated to this case, as other Tesla owners have reported similar issues, including one driver who discovered that black mold growing in a new Chevy Equinox EV caused severe health problems, demonstrating that mold contamination in vehicles can create serious medical consequences that extend far beyond the automotive purchase.
The financial impact of brosifmcjoseph’s situation, with “$60k tied up in a car which I can’t use,” illustrates how vehicle contamination can create complete financial loss rather than just repair costs. Unlike mechanical problems that can be fixed, mold contamination often requires complete interior replacement or vehicle disposal, making the financial recovery difficult even with successful legal action. The fact that Tesla initially denied his buyback request shows how manufacturers can leave consumers with total financial losses when they refuse to take responsibility for selling contaminated vehicles.
What It Means For Your Health
The health implications of mold exposure in vehicles represent a serious public safety issue that extends beyond individual consumer protection to broader regulatory concerns. Vehicle mold contamination can affect not just owners but passengers, service technicians, and anyone else who enters the contaminated space. The fact that a Tesla technician became sick from working on brosifmcjoseph’s car demonstrates how contaminated vehicles can create workplace safety hazards for automotive service workers. This situation suggests that regulatory agencies may need to develop specific standards for vehicle mold testing and disclosure to protect both consumers and workers from health hazards.
For prospective used car buyers, brosifmcjoseph’s experience provides important lessons about the limitations of manufacturer quality control and the importance of independent vehicle inspection. His situation shows that even vehicles sold by manufacturers can have serious undisclosed problems that create health and safety risks.
How To Fix Moldy Vehicles
- Vehicle mold contamination often requires complete disposal rather than repair, creating total financial losses that exceed typical automotive repair costs and may not be recoverable through insurance or warranty claims.
- Mold exposure from contaminated vehicles can cause illness that lasts weeks or months, creating medical expenses and lost work time that compound the financial impact of the automotive purchase.
- Manufacturers may refuse to acknowledge contamination problems even when presented with scientific evidence, requiring persistent escalation through legal channels and regulatory agencies to achieve resolution.
- Contaminated vehicles create health hazards for service technicians and other workers, demonstrating how vehicle contamination problems extend beyond individual owners to broader public safety issues.
The fact that Tesla’s initial inspection missed both the water intrusion and resulting mold contamination suggests that buyers should consider independent pre-purchase inspections even when buying from manufacturers. The experience also demonstrates the importance of understanding legal remedies and escalation procedures before problems develop, as manufacturers may be more responsive to formal complaints than customer service requests.
The ongoing nature of brosifmcjoseph’s dispute, with a second buyback request pending after the first was denied, shows how contaminated vehicle cases can become prolonged legal battles that create ongoing stress and financial uncertainty for consumers. His situation represents the kind of automotive nightmare that can result when quality control failures combine with corporate denial to create health hazards and financial losses. The fact that he’s pursuing legal action while still hoping for a manufacturer buyback shows the difficult balance between seeking immediate resolution and protecting long-term legal rights in contaminated vehicle cases.
Have you encountered hidden contamination or health hazards in a vehicle purchase? What steps did you take to document the problems and seek resolution from the manufacturer or dealer?
Let us know what happened in the comments below.
Image Sources: Tesla Media Center
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
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Source: torquenews.com
