Tesla to correct a manufacturing issue

May 29, 2009.

Tesla To Do House Calls.
Electric carmaker will make house calls to owners’ homes or offices to correct a manufacturing issue.

Tesla Motors has launched a safety recall covering all 345 Tesla Roadsters manufactured before April 22, 2009.

Tesla decided to inspect the rear, inner hub flange bolts on several Roadsters after one owner reported uncharacteristic handling. After a root-cause analysis, Tesla determined that the rear, inner hub flange bolts on a small percentage of Roadster vehicles were improperly torqued during assembly by Lotus, the contract manufacturer of the Roadster chassis. Lotus is conducting a similar recall on some Lotus Elise and Exige vehicles.

No accidents have been reported as a result of this manufacturing issue, which is unrelated to the Roadster’s all-electric powertrain.

Tesla will make house calls to service cars at owners’ homes or offices or to pick up the car and take it to a repair facility if necessary. Service will be performed at no cost to the customer and will include a complimentary, full-vehicle inspection and software upgrade.

“We plan to do everything we can to address this matter swiftly and keep customers satisfied,” said Greg Zanghi, Tesla’s Director of Service and Parts Operations.

(source: Tesla)