Tesla Owner Shares Her Pros and Cons After a Year of Ownership: Of a Model Y

Pros/Cons With a Tesla Model Y After 1 Year

Erin Robinson has owned a Model Y for about a year, and she shares her pros and cons. This is actual feedback from an owner, and you can take this feedback and add it to your decision to buy a Tesla vehicle.

Erin starts off with positive feedback on her Model Y. When it comes to the accessories, there is a large 3rd party market for amazing accessories for her vehicle. I agree with this - there are lots of things you can get from Tesla or other companies to add to your car.

There is a Lectron EV charger you can get, however, when you buy a Tesla, you get a charger with your Tesla. I haven't used it yet, but it comes standard. Lectron has a level 1 and level 2 charger you can buy, but you need an outlet to match the charger. It is weatherproof as well and can withstand heat, rain, and snow.

After this, Erin went right into things she didn't love. Let's go over those.

She says the drive is rough in her Model Y. She says her dog hates the back seat of the Tesla, and he gets car sick in the car. I wonder why her dog is getting sick in the back seat of her car. She says it is because the ride isn't as "cush" or comfortable as other cars. I've never had any issues with ride comfort in my Model 3 RWD or when riding in other people's Model Y vehicles.

Erin also doesn't like the connectivity of her phone to the car. There are times my phone doesn't connect immediately to the car, but that hasn't happened for a few weeks. I wonder if Tesla fixed that issue. If for any reason my phone doesn't connect, I always have my wallet with a card I can use.

I do agree with Erin in this case though, my phone hasn't connected to my car, and I've had to fiddle with it for a minute or two to get it to connect.

Erin says her windshield wipers turn on, and then she can't turn them off. You can turn on auto windshield wipers. She says she can't turn off the windshield wipers. She doesn't know why, but I do. It's because she is using Autopilot and when you are in Autopilot, you can't turn off the wiper functionality.

Erin also talked about the autonomy software of the Tesla. The car will slow down when it senses cars around. Erin says that the car senses other things like concrete barriers and trash and the car will slam on the brakes and that it has almost caused accidents on the freeway. I have had a few instances of phantom braking, but those seem to have stopped now. The car will slow down dramatically when there is a speed limit change from 70 to say 45 or something like that.

You may also be interested in:

• Tesla vehicles can handle extreme cold and heat.
• The staggering economics of the Tesla semi.
• How regenerative braking works in EVs.

More Pros and Cons

There are phone chargers in the car you can use to wireless charge your phone. I've used these in my Model 3 RWD and they have worked great. Erin says these barely charge your phone at all, especially if you are using your phone.

Erin says that she really likes the regenerative braking system. This puts Energy back into the battery and allows you to drive with one foot pedal driving. It's nice to not have to use the brakes, and I agree with Erin in this case. Regenerative braking is amazing and you have to get used to it.

Erin says she is going to sell her Tesla, but will miss this feature.

Erin says the car gets very hot in the summer. The top of the vehicle is glass and this causes the car to get hot. I agree that there is more room for heat to get in the car with glass, and you have to tint the windows to reduce this effect. Erin spent $1,500 to tint her windows. I agree with her, this is a con and good to point out.

Erin mentions that there aren't enough internal lights in the car and that you need a phone with a flashlight to see in the car. I've never dealt with this issue.

Erin's biggest issue is with the tires on the car. She has had to replace 3 tires in the last 5 months. One was a screw in the tread. The weight of the Tesla made it difficult to patch the car tire, and they had to replace it. I do agree that Tesla's weight more and tires get more wear and tear. I've had my Model 3 RWD for 6 months and never had an issue.

Erin also didn't like the tire pressure and running the risk of blowing a tire if the air gets below the recommended amount. It makes her nervous on a road trip if she is 50 miles or more from a Tesla service center. She worried that those tire companies wouldn't have Tesla tires. This issue isn't one I have, as I am not taking long road trips. Tesla roadside assistance will help you with issues if you are in range of one - you can call them.

Erin said that if you put a different set of tires on the car, Tesla won't change them for you. I wonder if she means that Tesla won't rotate the tires for you. I'm not sure what she meant by this one. I am planning on buying the longest lasting tires I can find for my next set of tires.

Erin didn't like that she had to think about so many of these issues. I agree with some. My old Honda Fit had less of a worry with tires. If you are having multiple tires burst on your Tesla, then you likely need to manage the PSI and driving better, but that is still difficult.

Erin says there are pros and cons to every vehicle.

I would say that many of Erin's issues are not issues I have had. I do agree that you need to pay attention to the PSI of your tires.

I love my Tesla Model 3 RWD and can't go back to a gas car after having my Tesla. It's just so much better for me.

Have you had issues with a Tesla?

For more information, see this video from Erin Robinson:

In Related News: Elon Musk Gives Nod to Model 3 - Project Highland

Leave your comments below, share the article with friends and tweet it out to your followers.

Jeremy Johnson is a Tesla investor and supporter. He first invested in Tesla in 2017 after years of following Elon Musk and admiring his work ethic and intelligence. Since then, he's become a Tesla bull, covering anything about Tesla he can find, while also dabbling in other electric vehicle companies. Jeremy covers Tesla developments at Torque News. You can follow him on Twitter or LinkedIn to stay in touch and follow his Tesla news coverage on Torque News.

Image Credit, Erin Robinson, Screenshot