Tesla owners complain about cars shutting down on Taiwan's highways

特斯拉車主抱怨汽車在台灣高速公路上瞬間失去動力

Tesla says company has no plans to recall cars, will provide temporary vehicles during repairs


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Several Tesla owners have complained to the Consumers’ Foundation about battery flaws they experienced in some models that caused the electric cars to shut down unexpectedly while they were driving.

The foundation held a press conference on Wednesday (March 16) along with a number of owners of Tesla vehicles calling on Tesla to recall and repair their cars, CNA reported.

Foundation Secretary-General Hsu Tse-yu (徐則鈺) said that many Tesla owners had bought their cars to embrace the concept of environmental protection. However, they are now worried about their safety while driving in light of reports of battery problems, Hsu said.

He pointed out that data the foundation had gathered showed the problematic cars were mostly Model Xs and Model Ss manufactured in late 2018 and 2019. More than 1,400 of these two models were sold in Taiwan, per CNA.

Hsu went on to say that most of the problems the car owners encountered were related to the battery, such as a sudden loss of power. However, due to insufficient supplies of parts and materials in Taiwan, the cars with battery issues could not be fixed in a short period of time.

In addition, after their cars were repaired and returned to them, some owners found that the battery pack in their vehicle was not the original but instead a refurbished one, he said.

The foundation official further pointed out that the battery problems were not necessarily solved after repair. Some owners sent their cars for repair two or three times, with repairs taking two to three months each time, yet there was no guarantee the battery would be fixed, Hsu said.

A member of an organization consisting of more than 300 Tesla drivers, surnamed Hu (胡), said the group's findings show 16 Tesla owners had experienced losing power while driving, 122 had run into some other battery problems, and 17 had had their car's battery pack replaced with a refurbished one.

The foundation called for the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and other consumer protection agencies to investigate the complaints, announce the results of their investigation, and — if necessary — require Tesla to recall the cars for repair, replace battery systems with new ones, extend the warranty period, and provide temporary cars during repairs.

Tesla responded to the complaints on Wednesday, saying it currently has no plans to recall the cars, as the reported battery problems were not systemic but differed depending on the vehicle, CNA reported. However, the company said it will provide temporary cars for owners during repairs and shorten the time it takes to fix the vehicles.