Numerous Model S owners have complained online about the yoke steering peeling off, probably due to Tesla’s use of a vegan leather substitute.
Tesla is yet again facing the heat from the community for a very good reason. It already had supply chain disruptions, launch delays, and price increase issues, and currently, it is also dealing with a ‘deceptive practice’ accusation from California’s DMV. Now, the latest addition to this long list of troubles is quality issues in its Model S.
We all know about the controversial yoke-designed steering wheel in the Model S, which seems a bit unsafe to operate. However, it seems the yoke also has other issues; multiple owners reported the fake leather disintegrating after a mere 10,000 miles, with some even having the same issue after 4,000 miles! We’ve hardly ever heard that a car’s steering wheel starts ripping off so early, but Tesla always sets new standards in reliability — in a negative way.
On July 30, Twitter user the Kilowatts reported about the condition of his steering yoke, which started peeling off on multiple spots. The owner affirmed the peeling started within 20,000 miles after a person asked for more information.
Yeah pic.twitter.com/jK0VPgTMuV
— The Kilowatts ⚡️ (@klwtts) July 30, 2022
One thing led to another, and the discussion created some buzz on Twitter. As a result, other owners of the Model S started sharing images of the condition of the yoke in their respective cars. Popular TikTok creator ‘if.okay’ also posted a peeled-off steering yoke in his 12,000 miles old Model S. In addition, @AaronS5_ claimed to know owners who have had to change the yoke three times in 10,000 miles.
Interestingly, all showed a similar type of disintegration, meaning it’s the result of using low-quality materials or poor testing. Still, social media doing what it does best, created commotion through theories that blamed the users for the disintegration. A wild theory involved @MeetKevin, who got accused of spilling beer in the cabin, with the basis being an old mugshot for a DUI dug up through the Web. Meanwhile, another story criticized the excessive fingernail pressure of the owner (if.okay). Some even mentioned the use of hand sanitizers or lotions to be responsible.
Does this mean only Tesla users do all kinds of misbehavior with the steering? Absolutely not! Or are we expected to take extra care while using the interior, maybe using gloves? If that’s the case, Tesla better provide special yolk-steering gloves during purchase and also an inbuilt nail cutter while they are at it.
Regardless, the absence of an active PR team in Tesla means a reply should not be expected anytime soon. What’s more disheartening is that a six-figure car with flagship performance is falling apart so soon. Hope the company buckles up and swiftly addresses all the pending issues because the EV game has just started, and Tesla is currently at the top.
Source: The Kilowatts (Twitter)
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