Tesla today announced that it has extended the same warranty for its Model S batteries to include the vehicle’s drivetrain units.
The drive unit is covered under the same provisions as the existing battery warranty, so owners with an 85 kWh battery will benefit from eight years of coverage with no mileage restrictions, while 60 kWh owners have up to 125,000 miles.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted that the new policy applies retroactively to existing Model S owners. Musk also confirmed on Twitter that the upcoming Model X and Model 3 designs will also have the same warranty.
In a statement, Musk said the policy should have been in place all along in order to reflect Tesla’s belief that electric motors are more reliable than gasoline engines. After car review site Edmunds reported multiple issues with its Model S drive unit, Tesla received some criticism from owners who had also experienced problems.
During the company’s most recent earnings call, Musk admitted that Tesla had experienced quality issues with some early vehicles. In other cases, the company found that it was overly eager in replacing drive units when sometimes the fixes were as simple as tightening a cable or adding a shim.
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Tesla also warned that the changes will have a “moderately negative effect” on its earnings, but it believes the consumer-friendly policy will help the company out in the long-term.
➤ Infinite Mile Warranty [Tesla]
Thumbnail image credit: Tesla
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