The Consumer Reports magazine has recently dropped its recommendation for Tesla Motors' cars due to a number of reliability issues.
The rating from the magazine is so significant that almost immediately after releasing its report, the company's stock price dropped by 6.6 percent, USA Today has learned.
Previous issues of Consumer Reports gave Tesla one of its highest ratings for automobiles. However, after conducting its Annual Auto Reliability Survey on 1,400 Tesla car owners, the magazine gained a clear idea regarding the issues with the company's vehicles.
Due to the number of issues reported by drivers, Consumer Reports gave Tesla a "worse than average" rating. This prompted the magazine to withdraw its recommendation for the electric cars, since based on Consumer Reports' standards, anything that is ranked below average should not be recommended to customers.
Based on the survey conducted by the magazine, majority of the drivers complained about problems with Tesla cars' drivetrain, charging equipment, power equipment, squeaks in the center console, body and sunroof and the over rattles and leaks of the vehicles.
Also, a number of drivers also complained about issues with the cars' door handles that prevents them from popping out, which was supposed to be a key feature of the vehicle.
Jake Fisher, the director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports maintained that Tesla cars are still unmatched when it comes to actual test drives. However, there are still a number of things Tesla can improve on when it comes to the vehicles' other features.
"On our test track, the car is second to none," he said according to the New York Times. "But when we talk about reliability, we are talking about things that break."
"This is a new vehicle, with a new platform, and they are experiencing growing pains," Fisher added. "Hopefully, they will learn from them."
The withdrawal of Consumer Reports' recommendation for Tesla cars is considered as a huge blow for the company since the magazine can significantly affect the buying behavior of the public. In fact, after the report came out, Tesla's stock price dropped from $228 per share to $202, Engadget reported.
Tesla responded to the report and said that it maintains direct communication with owners of its cars regarding various improvements which are delivered through software updates.
"Close communication with our customers enables Tesla to receive input, proactively address issues and quickly fix problems," the company said in a statement. "Over-the-air software updates allow Tesla to diagnose and fix most bugs without the need to come in for service. In instances when hardware needs to be fixed, we strive to make it painless."
