TECHNOLOGY
Tesla's Mileage Mystery: Customers Question Odometer Accuracy
California, USAMon Apr 21 2025
Tesla is in hot water over claims that it messes with the odometer readings of its cars. This is not good news for the company. Some customers think the company is doing this to make more money on repairs and to get people to buy extended warranties sooner. This is a big deal because it affects how much people pay for fixes and when their warranties run out.
One person who bought a 2020 Tesla Model Y in December 2022 noticed something fishy. The car had 36, 772 miles on it, which meant it was still under the 50, 000-mile warranty. But soon after buying the car, the person had to take it to the repair shop five times for a problem with the suspension. After the fifth visit, things started to get weird. The car seemed to be recording more miles for the same trips. For example, a journey that should have been 55. 54 miles per day was suddenly showing as 72. 53 miles. This person also noticed that the Model Y reported 13, 228 miles over six months, which is a 117 percent increase compared to previous cars.
By July 2023, the odometer showed more than 50, 000 miles. This meant the warranty had expired, and the person had to pay for repairs out of pocket. To make matters worse, the suspension finally gave out in October, and fixing the car would cost $10, 000. A Tesla representative said that all repairs are covered by warranty for a year, so the suspension could have been fixed for free earlier.
The person suing Tesla says the company uses fancy algorithms and energy metrics to measure distance, which can mess with the actual mileage. This means that mileage-based warranties might end sooner than they should. The person is asking for a class-action lawsuit so other Tesla owners can join. This isn't the first time Tesla owners have questioned the car's odometer readings. Some people on Reddit and Tesla forums have also noticed strange mileage discrepancies.
Tesla's use of algorithms to measure distance is a bit of a mystery. Traditional cars use mechanical or electronic systems to track mileage. But Tesla's method might be causing more problems than it solves. If the company is indeed messing with odometer readings, it could be a big problem for customers. It's important for companies to be transparent about how they measure mileage and to make sure their methods are accurate. Customers deserve to know that they're getting a fair deal.
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questions
How does Tesla's warranty policy address discrepancies in odometer readings?
Why does Tesla think their cars are in a marathon when they're just going to the grocery store?
Is Tesla's odometer trying to win a prize for most miles driven in a day?