Tesla loses case about play in Model Y to FDM member

The Danish Motor Appeals Board has ruled in favour of an FDM member in a case against Tesla concerning play in the rear suspension of a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The decision means Tesla must pay for the repair.

The case began when the car owner, during a service inspection about a year after purchase, was told that there was play in the car’s rear suspension. The workshop recommended that the problem be repaired under Tesla’s four-year factory warranty.

Tesla, however, rejected the claim, arguing that the play was within the company’s own tolerances.

FDM then advised the member to bring the case before the Danish Motor Appeals Board. The board asked an independent expert to examine the car, and the inspection showed play of up to 1.4 millimetres in the rear suspension. The expert assessed that the fault should not occur so early in the car’s lifetime and that the car would not be able to pass a periodic inspection.

On that basis, the appeals board ruled in favour of the car owner and ordered Tesla to carry out the repair or pay the repair costs of around 3,350 kroner.

According to FDM, the decision is of principle because the board does not recognise Tesla’s internal measurement method as a basis for rejecting warranty claims.

“This is an important decision made by the Danish Motor Appeals Board, and it will likely have major significance for the many Tesla owners who are experiencing similar problems with play,” says FDM lawyer Michael Ern Nielsen.

He also calls it positive that the appeals board rejects Tesla’s internal measurement method in the assessment of warranty cases.

FDM has previously documented that the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 fail vehicle inspections more often than other car models, among other things due to play in the rear suspension. The organisation therefore hopes the decision will lead Tesla to repair similar faults in the future without dispute.