Battery of complaints against Tesla in Norway

OSLO: “I’ve had the car for eight months and it ran fine for four days,” says Yngve Solberg, who like many Norwegians is fed up with the slew of problems his Tesla X has given him. Tesla has sold more cars per capita in Norway than any other country in the world thanks to the government’s generous measures in favor of electric cars including tax exemptions, free city tolls and public parking.

More than 26,000 Tesla S and X models are registered in Norway, according to the website. But Tesla has struggled to provide after-sales support that matches the soaring demand for its high-end electric cars. As a result, Tesla owners in Norway face long waits for repairs, a shortage of spare parts, difficulty reaching customer services, leading-unsurprisinglyto oodles of complaints.

In the first half of the year, Tesla became the company with the fourth-highest number of complaints registered with the Norwegian Consumer Council. In 2017, it held the 24th spot.

A car enthusiast, Solberg has had a long series of woes with his new Tesla X. Among the problems he has faced were malfunctioning rear doors and a faulty suspension system. And each time he has faced trouble, it has taken him several months to get an appointment for repairs.

“Because of the doors, I couldn’t park next to other cars for three months, neither at my work garage nor in my parking spot outside my home. All this with a car that costs 1.1 million kroner (115,000 euros, $133,000),” he bristled.

On an online forum for the Norwegian Association of Electric Cars, another Tesla owner said he was so frustrated he ended up taking his car to Danish capital Copenhagen to replace a faulty suspension arm. He has also been waiting for new seats for 13 months.

These are not isolated cases. A survey conducted by the Tesla Owners Club Norway indicates that 38 percent are dissatisfied with the company’s after-sales support, compared with 57 percent who are satisfied. “Norwegians are right to be upset with Tesla,” admitted Tesla chief executive Elon Musk.