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A new Tesla owner is happy with his new 2026 Model Y (Juniper) overall. However, the paint quality has disappointed him. Sadly, fit and finish issues have long plagued Tesla, even its most important vehicle, the Model Y, which outsells all of Tesla’s other vehicles combined. We found the debate more interesting than the actual issue. We’ll dive into what other owners think, offer our first-hand expertise, having just visited a Toyota/Lexus factory and seen its final inspection process, and offer our opinion on whether Tesla needs to up its game. First, let us offer the exact post, rather than our title’s condensed version:
I've been so far happy with my 2026 Tesla MY Juniper. However, for a $60,000 plus car, I'd expect Tesla to have better quality control with its painting. Are the robots not checking paint quality? This is unacceptable on a car that costs this much. Toyota/Lexus wouldn't allow this to be a finished product.
As you can see, this is not an outraged owner who is trying to slam Tesla. He’s an owner saying, “This product I'm glad that I own should be better.” For our readers, I will say that I checked this owner’s credentials. It’s not a troll post. He is a Top Contributor at the group where this was posted, posts regularly and often, and has shown off this vehicle many times prior. It’s a legit owner/poster.
The Defect
The paint defect shown in the image, which we are grateful to have permission to share, is an ideal spot. Not a hood. Not a roof. It’s not on the leading edge, which would raise concerns about corrosion. Instead, it’s inside a door jam. My own Ford Bronco Sport Badlands ($46k), came with a small paint defect. It is on the very lip of the front of the hood. Now I worry it will later chip and peel back. I’d trade paint defects with our Tesla owner in a heartbeat. His is inside a door jam. A fellow Tesla owner agreed with me, saying, “That’s a pretty good spot to have such a paint issue.”
Answering If Toyota/Lexus Would Allow This To Pass
I’ll jump in early with my personal expertise and firsthand knowledge on this subject. As it turns out, both the poster of this comment and I are engineers. I worked hand in hand with our company’s QC department for my whole career. I have even had to deal with coating quality issues during my time. However, the better knowledge I have that is applicable to this very post is that I visited the Toyota/Lexus facilities in Kentucky and Indiana this past fall. I was shown up-close how Toyota and Lexus inspect their vehicles' paint finish, and I was provided a mini training session on paint defect identification and inspection using the same tools the line workers do. I can tell you with high certainty that a Lexus would never leave the factory floor with that obvious large area of defective paint, and the likelihood that a Toyota would is very low.
Image above shows Lexus final paint inspection being performed. Image by John Goreham.
Toyota and Lexus never stop inspecting for paint defects. Before the paint is applied, they are looking for areas that will cause a visible defect, and correcting the prepared surface. Once the paint is applied, it is immediately thoroughly inspected, and it will not move down the line unless it is perfect. At every assembly step, workers are always adding paint inspection to their task list. After final assembly, Toyotas have a very thorough multi-worker inspection that uses optical enhancement tools, including special lighting, cooperative tools, and cameras, to look for any defects. Nothing is too small to let pass. Finally, Lexus products have a step that Toyotas do not (shown below), and every Lexus is scrutinized for perfection using high-tech tools, experienced workers' eyes, and hands. The defects I was “mini-trained” to detect were measured in single millimeters. The defective paint area in our poster’s image is many square inches.
The above image shows a Lexus vehicle final inspection area with cameras and optical tools in use. Photo by John Goreham
Now I am going to step away from what I know firsthand and make an educated guess. My conclusion is that Tesla does not inspect the door jams. If they did, how could this huge blemish have been allowed? It seems pretty obvious that, for either time, money, or some other factor, Tesla opts not to do the same level of inspection one would expect on a Toyota RAV4 or Lexus RX.
What Do Fellow Owners Say About Tesla Paint Defects?
Validating this owner’s post about paint issues were many comments from fellow owners. Here are a few we found to confirm that there is still an issue with Tesla vehicles’ paint:
MF - “I have three fingerprints under the clear coat on my Model Y’s door jam.”
AP - “The paint quality is terrible for me as well.”
PH - “Tesla is known for terrible and thin paint - ask any detailer.”
CT - “They all have issues.”
DA - “Tesla has notoriously been known to have poor paint quality… mine didn’t disappoint… total garbage.”
These were just some of the hundreds of comments that fellow posters offered. As you can see, many acknowledge that their own Tesla also had paint quality issues.
Tesla Owners Drinking the Kool-Aid
Under any Tesla post are the owners who will hear nothing bad said about their favorite brand. Honestly, I respect these owners. They have had such a positive Tesla ownership experience that they start from a place of disbelief that anyone could ever badmouth what they find to be a perfect vehicle. Here are a few of these owners, who some might call apologists or enablers. We call them Tesla superfans.
TS - “Nobody buys a Tesla for its quality.”
KG - “You haven’t been in the new Lexus, I see.”
MK - “I’m on my third flawless Tesla. FSD Is Amazing.”
GS - “Report it. Every car has issues!”
Our Take On Tesla Quality Issues
No place in this story has your author disparaged Tesla or offered any type of low opinion. I know from exhaustive research that Tesla’s Model Y now scores average in the industry on Consumer Reports surveys. It was not always that way. The Model Y was at the very bottom of quality rankings when it first launched. That is empirical data. I also know it is the second-best-selling personal-use vehicle in America after the RAV4. Shoppers are still snatching up Model Ys despite the political turmoil we saw from a vocal minority of haters who tried to take down an American automaker. Tesla’s quality is not outside of the mainstream. That said, having had a bit of "training" by Tesla and Lexus at the plant where the paint inspection takes place and seeing it first hand, I think the OP is right. This would likely not happen on a 2026 model-year Toyota or Lexus product, at any price point, $60K or otherwise. My final thoughts are these:
1) The OP’s paint defect is in an absolutely perfect place. It will cause no harm.
2) Tesla owners DO deserve better for their money, and I think Tesla continues to try harder.
3) Tesla Model Y vehicles offer tremendous value for the right buyer.
4) Tesla Model Y vehicles are a poor value for the wrong buyer. It all depends on your priorities.
Finally, our thanks to the person who posted this and for allowing the use of the image. I’m very happy to have found myself in a position to comment as an expert on this topic and offer some insights.
What do you think about Tesla's paint quality, or quality in general? Tell us in the comments section below.
Top of page image used with permission of the owner. Lexus production areas images by John Goreham, taken with the permission of the plant management.
John Goreham is the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his fourteen years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. John employs grammar and punctuation software when proofreading, and he sometimes uses image generation tools.
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